The Moon Always Shines over Konoha
by ViableExcuse
Summary: When a young adult who finally managed to get her life under control looses everything and begs for a second chance, she does not expect her wish to be granted. This time, she vows to take matters into her own hands. And the results are surprisingly more game-changing than she could have ever imagined. Everything that follows is... Chaos. SI/OC of sorts. Close to canon-AU.
1. Everything goes down the drain

**The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 1: And it all goes down the drain_

* * *

It was only a second.

A second of switching gear, the low rumble of the bike engine below me.

( _A dark SUV speeding down a dirt track, throwing dust and gravel in the air._ )

A second of enjoying the beautiful landscape, of feeling the wind ruffle my hair beneath my neck.

( _Too fast,_ _the car was never going to stop in time-_ )

A second of tires gripping on asphalt, of gravel hitting my visor, head turning left-

A fatal second of inattention can have the biggest of effects.

I heard the impact before I felt it.

Steel grinding against steel, rubber tires spinning furiously, the burning stink of gas in my nose. The bull bar hitting the bike's left side ( _a sharp_ _ **crack**_ ), 220 kilograms of steel and wiring catapulted like a child's toy. I tumble through the air, flailing my limbs helplessly ( _Mom had always been against the bike.._ ), before careening down just as fast, my head slamming onto the unforgiving asphalt.

Everything went black.

* * *

A bright light shone into my eyes, and I forced myself to sit up.

My bike ( _brandnew, dammit!_ ) lay 20 metres away, a cloud of thick, black smoke escaping from its interior. The tank must've caught fire in the crash.

 _The crash!_ Considering the pile of scrap metal on fire, the impact must've been _hard_.

So, why was I sitting up and all things considered felt pretty okay instead of lying mushed in a pile next to the bike?

The SUV driver bolted out of his relatively undamaged car ( _the lucky bastard!_ ) only to drop down a good dozen metres to my right. The stupid idiot didn't even have the decency to ask for my well-being after mowing me down like that? !

I was more and more inclined to kick his stupid ass right here and now. Rage bubbling in my gut, I stood up and stormed over to him, already cursing loudly.  
"You couldn't have slowed down!? Look what you did, you moron! That bike wasn't even fully paid for! You can consider yourself lucky I applied to the Police and can't afford any legal trouble, or I would've whooped your idiot ass by now! Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you! Look what you've done, dipshit! Look what you've-"

The rest of the sentence was stuck in my throat at the sight that unfolded in front of me.

I had to be dreaming, for that was _impossible_.

I was looking at my own mangled body, the leather suit ripped to shreds and white bone sticking from my left thigh. The helmet was cracked open, revealing a pale face, blood running from nose and mouth, the blue eyes I had always been so proud of gaping into the void.

In that moment it all came crashing down on me, and my heart skipped a beat.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no-_

The impact had been hard. _Too hard_ for a human being.

 _Thiscantbetruecantbetruecantbetrue-_

A soft sobbing sound penetrated the sudden still air, and I couldn't tell if it was me or the man helplessly kneeling before me.

"I'm too young, there's so much I want to change! I can't be alone forever, I don't want to- to-"

I couldn't help but ramble on pathetically, hoping for someone, some _thing_ , to help me out of this miserable situation. I couldn't accept this, _wouldn't_ -

A bright, white flash blinded me, taking my view of my- _the body_ , and I felt the sudden urge to close my eyes and _scream_ -

When I regained consciousness, the flash was gone and the brightness had long since faded. Instead it was dark. So _terribly_ dark.

The lack of light, of anything seemed like a restraint, heavily weighing down on my mind.

The darkness seemed infinite, equal to what I imagined someone crossing the singularity of a black hole might see. There was pressure all around me, squeezing me like dough through a form. Suddenly the black hole-simile didn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

The darkness - _warmth_ \- all around me contracted so much it physically _hurt,_ and I gasped for air. There was none.

I tried clawing at my surroundings, to somehow get oxygen into my aching lungs, but nothing helped. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of hurt and gasping and only hot fluids reaching my strained lips, I felt a cold breeze waft around my legs, and suddenly there was light.

I blinked a few times. Now everything began to clear, and the fog blocking my mind lifted. I could make out ceiling tiles, white and clinical. The low humming of the ceiling light and… _voices,_ not yet clear enough to understand.

(" _Sayoko ya Tsukiko wa ikagadesu ka? Kekkyokunotokoro, kanojo wa yoru ni umaremashita."_ )

So, a hospital.

Apparently my out-of-body-experience had only been a stupid dream. The dipshit had actually called an ambulance for me. Yay to him.

I couldn't help the shiver running down my spine. I really was kind of cold now. Couldn't they have amped up the heater a few stages? I was a patient in critical condition, after all. I closed my eyes for a moment, blinking to adjust to the harsh neon lights.

What was that irritating buzz I felt? It was… warm, and also not. Hm, it reminded me of what one would experience during an adrenaline rush. The sensation rolled through my body at consistent intervals, making it tingle and tickle. Like an itch I couldn't quite reach.

Or maybe rather a sore, continuously strengthening in intensity. It was certainly not pleasant, but also not quite painful. As of now.  
Huh. That didn't seem good. I shouldn't feel pain or anything resembling that, right? It wasn't possible if one was under the kind of medication I had to be. A motorcycle crash like mine was nothing light, and only a fool would deny a patient with injuries like that a hefty dose of pain killers.

Ugh, mom's nagging was going to be unbearable. She'd probably ground me, if I didn't already have my own place. Maybe she hadn't caught wind of it yet?

Out of the corner of my eye I could make out the dark night sky, the full moon, and couldn't hold back a giggle, soon turning into a full-blown, hysterical laugh.

Mother was going to rush to the hospital in those ugly bunny pyjamas I'd jokingly gifted her at her fiftieth birthday and old slippers, already raising a finger at my recklessness-

(" _Kanojo ga tsuki o mite dono kurai shiawase ni mieru!" "Tsuki, sore dakedesu! Kanojo no_ _Tsukiko_ _ni denwa shimashou_.")

Wait a second. That laugh didn't sound like my voice. I was twenty-one years old, always having a deep voice for a girl. That laugh… rather sounded like a child's giggle!

(" _Nani ga okotte iru nodesu ka? Naze kanojo wa totemo shizukadesu ka?"_ )

The shock at hearing the high-pitched giggle of a child instead of my own young adult one punched ice-cold focus into my still kind of foggy mind.

(" _Shirimasen. Tabun kanojo wa samuidesu ka?"_ )

Who the hell were those people? And what kind of fantasy language were they speaking?

I suddenly felt a light breeze wafting over my forehead. Wondering why the hell someone would leave open a window in the critical care unit, I let my head fall back and looked up only to gasp in surprise when a giant face looked down on me.

 _What._

I was too awe-struck to do anything besides repeatedly opening and closing my mouth, when a giant hand caressed my cheek almost lovingly.

(" _Kanojo wa kawaidesu ka?")_

Dark brown locks flowed down to me and I couldn't help the urge to grasp for them.

The giantess chuckled, elegantly holding her petite hand in front of her mouth.

(" _Hai. Kanojo wa kanpekidesu."_ )

I tried to turning my head towards the other voice, a deep baritone that resounded in my ( _not bruised, not hurting_ ) ribcage.

He was a giant as well, with jet-black hair and onyx eyes. He wore simple dark trousers and a navy blue shirt with an unusually high collar.

Before I could fully focus on the giants -somehow the male's clothes struck a nerve within me, and the sigil on the band tied to his right arm, I had seen that _somewhere_ before- the strange buzzing sensation returned. It radiated in waves, and it took me quite some time to realise that -whatever it was that I felt- picked up in its pace.

My heartbeat quickened, and I began to wince whenever a new wave of ever increasing intensity hit me.

 _So. No painkillers for me, apparently. Fuck this hospital._

The giantess above me seemed to pick up on my condition. I didn't understand a word, but there was no way to not to register the concern and the beginnings of panic in her voice.

I couldn't make sense of this situation. What the hell was even happening?!

My muscles spasmed and fire flooded through my veins. My body felt like it was going to be torn apart from the inside at any moment now.

i wanted to analyze this mess, wanted to _think_ , but no thoughts managed to cross the burning wall in my mind. It was as if I was being _burned from the inside out_.

 _Arghh!_ I couldn't bear the pain any longer. My eyes shut tightly and my hands cramped into fists, I let out a desperate, high-pitched whine, wanting nothing more than to _stop the pain_.

"Subayaku, kanojo no tasuke o eru!"

I was distantly aware of a number of people hastily entering the room, but couldn't stop twitching and wincing in pain.

A faint green glow emanated somewhere around my ribcage, the shimmer only faintly visible through my half-closed eyelids. Finally, after what felt like days of agony, the pain slowly ebbed away and I slipped into darkness again.

 _What the hell have I managed to get caught up in again?_

* * *

 **Author's Annotations:**

Uhhh, cliffhanger in the first chapter, a _classic_. Hopefully it made you all hungry for more!

Sooo, what do you think? Let me know down below!

If anyone knows how the hell I can make the paragraphs _not disappear_ after posting a chapter, please let me know! The unfitting way everything is aligned in is setting me off.

For the Japanese translations I've used Google Translator, as my Japanese is not the best. If you spot any mistakes, make sure to correct me on it.

 _Translations:_

1."How about Sayoko or Tsukiko? She's born at night, after all."

2."Look how happy she is to see the moon!" "The moon, that's it! Let's call her Tsukiko."

3 _."_ What's going on now? Why is she so still all of a sudden?"

4. _"_ I don't know. Maybe she is cold?"

5\. "Isn't she cute?"

6\. " Yes. She is perfect."

7\. "Quick, get her help!"


	2. Second Chances

**The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 2: Second Chances_

* * *

It was buzzing and bustling all around me. I held on tight to the last flimsy bits of soothing, blissful sleep, but the noise was too intrusive to ignore.

 _Bothersome_.

I felt warm and cosy, and for a moment pushed what had happened into the farthest corner of my mind, pretending to lounge in my bed at home. I wanted to snuggle into my blanket and grabbed for it, only for my efforts to fail fruitlessly. I just couldn't get a hold of the damned blanket!

My only option was to open my eyes and look where it had slipped to.

 _Fine_ , _if I can keep the cosiness…_

I opened my eyes and was met with a warmly lit room, not at all the hospital room I had expected. The warm sunlight trickled in through a kind of rice paper screen, decorated with water lilies and a flock of geese splashing in a pond. It looked to be quite high in value, even if I had no fixed price in mind. Who would have built his house in an Asian style like that? My gaze trailed to the other side where a rice paper sliding door marked the exit to the hallway, a light breeze carrying the smell of cooked food into my nostrils. Whomever this building belonged to, they certainly had a good cook. The smell was delicious.

As if by an afterthought my stomach started growling. Displeased with my own body, I looked down at myself and the sight of the short, wriggling stumps passing for legs hit me like a slap in the face.

 _OhnoOhnoOhnoOhno_

The crash. The out-of-body-experience. The bright flash. The hospital. The _giants_.

My yelp of surprise must've been pretty damn loud, because only seconds later the giantess with the curly hair stood in the door frame and looked at me with wide eyes.

" _Anata ga me o samashite imasu?_ "

 _What?_

And before I could process anything, I was lifted up by the giantess.

" _Watashi no saiai no akachan, tsuini anata wa megasamete iru!_ " Something warm and wet hit my cheek, and I only wanted out of the giantess' arms and back to the cosy warmth and-

It slowly dawned on me, that maybe, just _maybe_ , the woman wasn't a giant, but I was actually small! The lack of muscle obedience, the irritating urge to grab for the flowing, chocolate brown waves of hair, the high-pitched wailing I just now realized stemmed from _me_ as well– all of it allowed only for one conclusion to be drawn.

I was a baby once again.

I had been _reborn_.

Congrats to all the Buddhists, Hindus and all the other religions believing in rebirth! You can place the crown of superiority on your heads and gleefully muse about the fact that you've got it _right_. But gloating like that wasn't very Buddhist, so maybe just quietly revel at the thought that you've got it right from the start.

" _Metcha shiawase! So, totemo shiawase!_ "

The woman who had brought me into this world was constantly wiping at her eyes, only interrupted by the kisses she placed all over my face. The singsong of the words sounded vaguely familiar.

I couldn't believe it. _Reborn_. What had I done to deserve that honour? I wasn't even religious.

" _I'm too young, there's so much I want to do! I can't be alone forever, I don't want to- to-"_

Maybe everything I ever had to do was - _ask_?

But what about my family? Mom and my brother and all of my friends! There most likely was no way to see them ever again.

A lump settled in my throat, thick tears threatening to quell up. I already missed them.

" _I can't be alone forever, I don't want to- to-"_

But I wasn't alone, was I? I had my new mother, who as of yet seemed to care for me deeply, judging by the salty, warm tears she was still shedding on my cheeks.

And Mom- my _old_ mother, I resolved, my heart aching with bittersweet loss- had always warned me to be prepared for the big goodbye. " _Sometimes it comes without warning. But life is sudden like that. And even if it all seems dull and grey, the change might be for the better! After all, you should always try to make the best out of every situation you find yourself in, my dear._ "

Maybe Mom was- _had been_ \- right. Burying my head in sorrow over a lost life and loved ones would do me absolutely zero good, and neither would it bring me back to them. Most likely.

I had to settle with the situation and make the best of it.

I looked up at my new mother's delicate features, eyes and cheeks reddened from tears, and smiled. She hitched a breath, stopping her constant flow of tears, and a gentle smile played around the corners of her mouth.

" _Watashitoisshoni, sukoshidemo, anata wa kikoeru?_ "

The warm smile fit her new mother's petite features a lot better.

I resolved to never make my new mother cry like that ever again.

The chocolate locks bobbed up and down, when the beautiful woman that was now my mother chuckled at my incredibly _impertinent_ stomach growling quite loudly, breaking the soothing silence between us.

" _Ima, anata wa kufukudesu ka?"_

What language was she speaking? It sounded distinctly _Asian_.

My mother exited the room – _my_ room, apparently- and turned to follow the hallway.

Craning my neck to get a better look at everything, I could make out an extensive room, most likely a kind of living room, with a low table and seat cushions draped around it, on the wall behind it a stylized leaf framed by black borders..

If I'd had the ability to do so, I would've facepalmed just now at my own ignorance.

I'd seen the sign already in my new life, back in the hospital.

Well, that would fit the profile, with the rice paper screens, the kind of, yes, kind of _familiar_ language and everything. I would probably have been shocked at the reveal, but _being reborn_ kind of makes everything that usually would've pulled the rug out of under me dull and well, _not shocking_.

Not even being reincarnated as a child in the Hidden Leaf Village Konohagakure could quite do the trick.

Or maybe I was still in a state of shock and the full force of the revelation would hit me later on, when I least expected it.

In the meantime my new mother had reached the kitchen and sat down in a proper seiza, before pushing her lavender yukata over one shoulder and revealing her bust.

" _Ima sugu shokuji o shimashou._ "

I recoiled at the thought of sucking on someone else's breast. No way in hell was I going to do that!

" _Nani ka machigaete iru?_ " My new mother watched me in concern, brows all scrunched up. She pushed her bust near my mouth, inviting me to feed.

In turn I squeezed my eyes close, refusing to even look at the offending object directly in front of my face. Everything inside me fought against the awkward situation.

Or, not _everything_.

My traitorous stomach growled again, and after a few more moments of rebellion I postponed thinking about the madness of this situation in favour of stilling the hunger.

Cracking one eye open, I haltingly reached out and began feeding, my cheeks burning hot with embarrassment.

Ten minutes later I was finished and felt warm and kind of sleepy. My new mother had pulled the silky yukata back over her shoulder and held me close to her chest, caressing my cheek with soft hands. " _Anata no otousan wa anata ga umaku iku no o mite anshin shimasu._ "

I fought against the tempting call of sleep, determined to stay awake and think my sudden situation through. First things first: I had apparently died and been reborn in Konohagakure, a place out of a freaking manga that shouldn't even _exist_ in the first place (I was pointedly ignoring the fact that reincarnation in on itself had been a concept of pure fantasy for me for my entire life before I had quite literally experienced it. Could I have been reborn in, say, the _Star Wars_ universe as well? That was an intriguing thought…). That could be good or bad, depending on what my place in this universe was. My life could be boring but safe, if I had been born into a farmer family. I could work in a tea shop if I was a civilian. Considering the evidence I had accumulated so far I either stemmed from a civilian family not short of a bob or two (the rice paper panels were painted quite expertly, and my mother's yukata was adorned by fine silk stitches forming delicate floral patterns in multiple shades of lavender), or I was part of a Shinobi family. The average Chuunin earned enough to entertain a well-decorated apartment, so Jonin and the like must be able to keep houses like the one I'd caught glimpses of on the way to the kitchen.

The distant sound of a door opening and a deep voice yelling " _Tadaima!_ " interrupted my musings and helpfully chased the threads of tiredness away before they could lull me in and pull me under. My mother turned her head and yelled something. A moment later the kitchen door panel slid open and a tall man entered the room. It was the man from the hospital if I wasn't mistaken. His dark hair was somewhat held from falling into his face by a Konoha hitai-ate, its silver plate gleaming in the low sun light as he walked over to us.

The Shinobi life style it was for me, apparently.

My new mother turned towards him and his friendly face lit up as he beamed at us. " _Kanojo wa tsuini okite iru?_ "

My mother nodded excitedly. " _Kanojo wa kufukudattanode, watashi ni oshietekudasai!_ "

I really wanted to understand them now. At that thought, fear shot through me lightning fast. What if I couldn't learn Japanese? I was already twenty years old, and I'd read somewhere that people easily learned new languages until a certain age, mid-teens or something, but had a very hard time memorising the new speech pattern and everything when they'd passed that age. And I had _most definitely_ passed that age. But I physically was a babe again, so maybe I still had that ability?

Hm, only time would tell. Until then I had to try and listen for familiar phrases and put my meagre, anime-based knowledge of Japanese to good use.

" _Konichiwa,_ _Ts_ _uki-chan. Watashi wa anata no otousan, Takeo._ "

Okay, there were a few words I recognized.

The man's name apparently was Takeo, and he was my father. And if I'd understood right, I was called… Tsuki? Or Suki? Something like it, I couldn't really tell. I hadn't been an avid anime watcher per se, only indulging in it as a means of stilling the nostalgic hunger I had felt whenever I thought back to my wonderfully carefree childhood. As such, my knowledge of Japanese was limited to the most basic phrases. But I was sure I'd just now heard the word "Tsukiko" in mention of me again, so I probably was right about it being my given name. _Ts_ _uki_ _ko_ … I let that roll around in my mind for a few moments. Yeah, it definitely had a ring to it.

" _Dou ka, kanojo o daka sete kudasai._ "

My mother gave me up to my new father's arms and I – _Tsukiko_ \- couldn't contain a smile.

My father was just as gorgeous as my new mother, with long, lush lashes and eyes like bottomless wells. He looked at me lovingly and placed a small kiss on my forehead.

If I got _anything_ from those two in looks, I had to be breathtaking.

" _Watashi wa kanojo ga tanjou shita toki ni kurushinde ita koto wa nandemo. Watashi wa hotondo kibou o ushinatte shimatta._ "

My parents- Takeo and the curly haired beauty I had to catch a name for yet, really seemed to care for me. I wondered idly if they would make me join the academy when I grew up.

My father was a Shinobi, so I was pretty much predisposed to become one eventually. It probably was for the better, because what could be worse than existing in a world where people could spit giant fireballs and jump 15 metres straight up and _not_ develop these skills? I would probably fall over from boredom and jealousy.

My mother hugged my father from behind, whispering something in his ear, and he grinned.

" _Zettai ni! Watashi wa watashi no subarashi onanoko nit suite jiman shinakereba naranai nodesu kai?_ "

He sounded suspiciously like a boasting Naruto, and that thought somehow warmed my heart.

My mother only smiled in return, her hand tracing his neck lightly.

 _I can settle with this family_ , I concluded, already feeling the warm tendrils of love and hope tug at my heart.

After some more caressing from my parents, I felt my eyelids begin to droop. Sleep called, and I no longer had the will power to resist it. I let my eyes close and gave in.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

So, here's the second chapter. Eh, I like fluff, even though it's not easy to write if the protagonist is an infant and can't do anything besides passively accepting what's happening ;)

Hopefully it's not too much Japanese forced in between, but just in case, I've once again added translations. For what it's worth.

Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing. Do me a favour and review this work, so I know what I can do better/what I'm doing good right now!

 _Translations:_

1\. You're awake?

2\. My darling baby, finally you're awake!

3\. I'm so happy! So, so happy!

4\. Stay with me now, little one, you hear?

5\. Now now, are you hungry?

6\. Let's get you your meal now.

7\. Is something wrong?

8\. Your father will be relieved to see you doing so well.

9.I'm home!

10\. She's finally awake?

11\. And she was hungry, let me tell you that!

12\. Hello, Tsuki-chan. I'm your father, Takeo.

13\. Please, let me hold her, dear.

14\. I'm so happy she has recovered from- whatever it was that she suffered from at her birth. I had almost lost hope.

15\. Definetly! I have to boast about my wonderful little girl, don't I?


	3. Parameter Check, and here we go!

**The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 3: Parameter Check, and here we go!_

* * *

Weeks came and went after that.

I was suspended in an always-the-same loop: Waking up, getting fed, baby-babbling to mother, using my as of yet laughable physical strength and stamina to move my body as much as possible to train, getting tired, sleeping, repeat.

Even though it had been boring after just a few times, I was determined to use every waking hour to further my new self. Be it the training of my inferior infant body or the better apprehension of Japanese by listening to my new mother: I was sure it was all going to pay off when I finally was able to do something else then drooling on my romper or wiggling in my crib.

Time passed quickly.

I hadn't seen my new father since the day I had accepted my situation. He seemed to be on some kind of mission, as my mother didn't seem all that worried that he hadn't returned for a single time since then.

Or perhaps I had just overslept his return. After all my ridiculously weak infant body needed, like, sixteen hours of sleep ever day.

 _Pffsh, who am I even kidding? That was my sleep schedule as a teenager as well._

After another uneventful day of parent-child bonding between me and my new mother, I was finally put in my crib to sleep. Mother was none the wiser that I didn't immediately fall asleep anymore, but pushed my wimpy infant body to its limits. My pre-sleep exercise consisted of a dozen sit-ups and at least as many laying-down jumping jacks to strengthen my baby-fat-weakened musculature.

Okay, the jumping jacks were pretty lousy even for the range of motion an infant possessed, and the sit-ups where even more half-assed, but the thought mattered.

After another round of repetitions I allowed my strained body to rest and focused on training my vocal cords. I was nowhere near talking yet, but the gurgles were starting to sound a lot more deliberate since I had begun training.

After finally deeming myself worthy of comfort and rest, the relief of slipping into sleep didn't keep me waiting for long.

Man, I could'nt _wait_ for the day where I finally had full control over a decent body.

When I next awoke, dawn had just started. The first beams of warm light washed over my face and gave me the necessary energy to set my mind back on track. I went on to organizing my thoughts. I had to form a strategy, a way to proceed in this world. I already possessed intimate knowledge of the happenings of the Naruto world, from the end of the warring states period to the fourth ninja war, and that could save my neck sometime in the future.

 _Ha, watching TV was_ not _that big of a waste of time after all!_

But before I could go into planning, I needed some key parameters to build my as of now unstable thought house, threatening to topple over at any given moment if not properly reinforced.

First parameter: _Time_. When and where was I in the timeline? I could gather clues to piece the puzzle together, but the biggest hint would be the Hokage monument. The amount of faces on display would give me a decent idea of the current point in time.

Second parameter: _Possibilities_. What stand did I belong to, what power, be it manipulative, political or physical, did my new self reign over?

Third parameter: _Goals_. What were the goals I strived to achieve?

Humming under my breath, a technique to warm up my vocal cords I had learned from my gospel-angel of a mom (No, seriously. If by some kind of cosmic joke I was forced to hear ' _Oh happy day'_ only one more time, I was going to throw myself in front of the next bijuu-dama), I concluded I was quite clear on what I wanted to achieve my second time around.

A better future for everyone, I supposed. I was certainly no do-goodie, at least not in my last life, but when everything played out like it did in the manga and I didn't happen to be one of the main characters -a fact I was quite sure of even with my limited access to the outside world, considering my parents were neither the famed Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, nor were they Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha- I wasn't going to live the high-life.

I had a duty to fulfil, if not for the sake of the other inhabitants of this world, then at least for my own sake: Prevent the ninja world from _becoming crazy fucked up._

Or at least prevent the worse fuck-ups, for a world where children whose ages weren't even two-digit were sent to fight wars was inherently shitty.

All the tragic childhoods, the torn apart families, the crushed hopes and dreams- it was not going to happen again, if I had any say in the matter.

Huh. " _A better Konoha for everyone_!" could be my slogan. Maybe I should strive for a political career. Would be safer than having to do 360-spins to avoid getting shanked on a daily basis, too.

My stomach growled, and the infallible instinct of a mother came into play when my new mother slid the door open and called out to me. "Ohayo, Tsuki-chan!"

"Morning, mother!", was my instinctive answer. Only it didn't come out of my mouth that way. It was more of a sad gurgling sound, and I closed my mouth in embarrassment. _Way to go,_ _Ts_ _uki._ Japanese certainly didn't come fluidly to me, or any form of speech for that matter. But it was going to be better, I was going to make sure of that. I may have lacked the practice, but I had some semblance of muscle memory.

 _If there is a will, then there is a way_ , my brother had always said, and I was going to honour his endless optimism, even if it was the last thing I did.

My mother looked awfully happy after my miserable attempt at speaking, clapping her hands together and grinning widely. " _Hanashite mimashita ka?_ "

And before I could do anything else my mother picked me up and hugged me affectionately, mumbling " _Okaachan wa anata o hokori ni omoimasu!_ " into my shoulder. I squirmed in her arms, my stomach coming forward again.

My mother – _okaachan_ , if I remembered the term correctly- proceeded to go through the same ritual as yesterday. She took me to the kitchen, sat down in a seiza and breastfed me. Craving for a distraction (I was _never_ going to get used to the process of feeding), I wondered idly where Takeo- uh, _outousan_ was. Did he ever stay at home over night?

Well, I didn't have much to speculate on, given my as of now short time in this world. _Come to think of it… How long_ have _I been here?_

Starting to speak was something most infants started to learn at an age of one year, and I hadn't been there that long. Something must have happened, because I was sure a child at an age of about a few weeks, maybe a month or two, wouldn't be capable of doing what I'd done. Sure, I'd been training, but that couldn't make that much of a difference. Right?

Or maybe it was just because of this world's own distinct rules. It was a world where people could spew fire, for god's- uh, _Kami's_ sake. Would it be that outlandish for a much too young child to start the process of speaking?

Well, gurgling and babbling certainly were not to be classified as 'speech', but it was a start.

I stared at the Konoha sigil on the white rice paper wall behind my mother.

 _Probably not_.

I remembered quite distinctly from the anime that five year old Kakashi had already been a lethal ninja. Children back in my old world had trouble expressing their thoughts and here they were already going on missions and experiencing the terror of war.

 _And that's the world I'm now an inhabitant of._

I sobered up quickly at that thought.

I really prayed for the right amount of willpower to become strong enough to defend myself, or the future didn't look especially bright.

After helping me burp up the redundant carbon dioxide, mother bundled me up in a blanket of some sort and draped me in a complicated arrangement of cloth. With an air of finality, _okaachan_ fastened the straps behind her back, securing me at chest-height. She grabbed the wicker basket from the kitchen table, slipped on a pair of pastel _zori_ and conclusively shut the front door behind us.

We were going outside!

 _Finally!_ That was the chance to secure the first parameter, _time_.

And it certainly was more exiting than staying inside all day.

What I saw when my eyes had adjusted to the morning sun was not entirely expected.

A distinct red-and-white symbol plastered over _everything_. Walls, market stands, amphorae, but most prominently on the back of every person walking and talking in between.

 _This changes_ everything.

Parameter one was as of yet unconfirmed, but I definitely had a good idea on parameter two.

I had been born an Uchiha. A freaking _Uchiha_.

Of all clans to belong to, I just _had_ to be part of the one driven by rage and hatred, hadn't I?

My mother had left our house behind and rounded a few corners, but to me everything was going by in a blur.

 _Uchiha._

Why did it have to be the Uchiha of all clans?

Why the elitist, arrogant, responsible-for-a-big-part-of-the-Leaf's-drama Clan?

Suddenly hands were all over my face and I was too stunned, still too caught up in my thoughts to do anything.

" _Kawaii!_ " Another hand pinched my left cheek and the sharp pain brought me back to reality.

" _Enough!"_

The exasperated outcry did not have the intended effect. Instead the stroking and the pinching intensified, a constant barrage of cooing and squealing stabbing my sensitive ears.

I tried for another word, but my inferior vocal chords only produced an embarrassing gurgle.

 _Not enough training yet_ , my traitorous mind supplied helpfully.

Thankfully mother came to my aid, and the hands obscuring my vision disappeared.

She seemed to scold ( _Yeah, tell'em, okaachan!_ ) the other women –four, between the ages of 20 and 30- for harassing the sweet, innocent baby that was actually a fully sentient twenty-one year old.

The women seemed disappointed, but obliged. They weren't above sneaking a peek at me once in a while, though.

 _Okaachan_ continued to squabble happily, if sternly berating everyone trying to touch her child, and I was left to my own devices. Now that the horrid women weren't plaguing me anymore, I could finally take in our surroundings. The Uchiha district looked much like I remembered its looks from the rare peek at it in the anime. Wood and rice paper houses, lampions and chains of lanterns everywhere. The district was littered with the red and white Uchiha fan, some walls displaying even expertly painted renditions of the stylized Konoha leaf.

That caught my eye.  
The Uchiha had the symbol of Konoha, the symbol of their estrangement and alienation, painted on the walls of their precious district?

The Clan under Fugaku Uchiha would have never approved of that. Too deep was the rift between the village leaders and the elitist clan.

Maybe… maybe it had not yet come to this kind of mutual resentment?

The split had only really come to full fruit after the Uchiha had been accused of controlling the Kyuubi and wilfully laying waste to the village. Before that the relationship had been a festering wound, with people like Danzo only fanning the flames.

 _Danzo_. Oh, I _despised_ that old bastard with a passion. He had brought loss and hatred to so many people's lives, only because of his very own feelings of inferiority and burning need to prove himself. And now, with my new self belonging to the clan he was hell-bent on destroying, I had a very personal motive to stop him from enacting his costly plans.

I just hoped I had enough time to grow up and train to become stronger before he put his plans into action.

If Danzo acted before I'd had become a capable ninja, or even a person with political sway, there was nothing I could do besides standing by and watching the Uchiha clan -my _clan_ -get slaughtered. Me included, because there wouldn't be mercy for anyone besides Sasuke, not even for the children. And I didn't fool myself with glorified ambitions to defeat that guy in battle. He was _way_ above my league in skill, if even geniuses like Obito and Kakashi feared his powers. And yes, I considered Obito to be a genius. How could a boy who never really received proper training for his very special abilities keep up with the legendary Fourth Hokage at age fourteen, if he were anything short of a born prodigy? Although even _that_ incredible ninja had pledged to keep an eye on the eldest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, and that certainly spoke volumes about what a fully-trained Itachi Uchiha could do.

 _Oh Kami, please don't let Itachi go through with the massacre until I can do something to stop him._ Otherwise everything would go just as it did in the anime, and that was too much sadness and death for my liking. Not to mention I would loose my second chance before I had even done anything meaningful.

 _Okaachan_ had left the women behind after waving goodbye and purposefully strode towards a bustling mass of people. It seemed to be some kind of weekly market, with countless stalls and colourful merchandise on display. Men and women ambled through the tightly wound corridors and children scurried playfully through the gaps between stalls.

Merchants advertised their goods with boisterous voices and shooed the kids away whenever they barely missed the vast number of items on display when darting across the market.

There were people of all ages and in numerous stages of emotion, ranging from pure, unimpeded happiness to extreme annoyance. Each and everyone wore the Uchiha fan on their clothing.

 _Okaachan's_ steps had me bob up and down at a relaxing pace, and I fought the urge to yawn. I had so much more info to take in and clarify the situation, there was no time for getting all sleepy!

What exactly was my purpose here? Was it just a second chance?

Or… or was I supposed to change something, _anything_?

They stopped in front of a simple wooden stall and the middle-aged merchant thankfully toned down on the promotion of goods after catching sight of me. The constant background hum of voices and the odd tradesman's praise for his ware had started to put a strain on my still sensitive hearing.

Maybe it was pure dumb luck that I had been reborn in this world. Or bad luck, depending on your point of view. It had to be a cosmic joke to be part of something I had always been able to enjoy from afar, never getting more involved than praying my favourite characters didn't get offed. Only I didn't quite see the pointe.

For all I knew I might wake up in my bedroom at any given moment, chuckling over the crazily realistic dream I had and vowing to tell my mother about it when I visited on the weekend.

In the past lucid dreaming had always been something I wanted to experience, but _not for this long_.

 _Okaachan_ placed her basket on the counter and picked up different fruit and vegetables, only the best and most ripe ones managing to get chosen by her.

When she picked up another egg-plant, testing its ripeness by pressing her finger into the dark purple fruit pulp, I resigned to dealing with the situation at hand before I lost myself in the vague feeling of loneliness and full-on despair took over. I knew the steps, because I had gone through them countless times in my past life. The loss of grandfather, the betrayal of my ex-best friend, the incredible pressure during the waning days of school which had almost made me quit right then and there, screw the consequences. _.._

Well, Mom and my friends had been by my side, then, always looking out for me and lending an open ear or a shoulder to cry on whenever the need arose.

I didn't have that anymore.

I only had myself and the oh-so precious memories of a life filled with so many ups and lows, I might get sea-sick thinking about it all.

 _Life oftentimes takes unexpected turns, and it might seem sometimes like there's no end to the dark tunnel. But if you keep on walking, you'll find the glimmer of light you need to pull through._

Mom had always been there for me, and even if she wasn't able to do so physically anymore, her words of wisdom sure were. Her presence in my mind and the wisdom she had shared were what kept me going instead of succumbing to the fear and loneliness trying to encompass my weak heart.

 _I'm going to do the best I can, Mom. I'm going to make you proud at least in this life, and I know you'll know somehow. You always do._

Returning my focus to _okaachan,_ I silently thanked whom- or whatever had instigated my second chance in this world for the clear difference between 'okaachan' and 'Mom' -I would never tie the term 'Mom' with my shinobi- _okaachan_ , no matter how loving and doting she may be. It would feel like I wanted to replace Mom with her, and well- Call me a nostalgic idiot, but that just didn't sit right with me.

Chestnut brown locks danced in the sunlight, when Mrs Takeo Uchiha turned her body as to allow me a look at our rich yield. Shiny purple egg plants, gnarled taro roots, bright orange carrots and a bundle of herbs and several cabbages filled the medium-sized basket.

 _Okaachan_ (I felt increasingly at ease with that term) picked up the smallest carrot and brought it up into my still sadly rather limited range. Seeing a chance to test the infant body's motor skills, I cautiously extended my hands and took the vegetable from mother. I felt the sudden urge to taste the familiar good and made to sink my teeth into the shining edible, only for it to slip into the corner of my tender mouth. Unable to make sense of the unusual behaviour of my jaws, I looked up, puzzled and confused. What I saw was equally unexpected. The usually schooled features of my new mother bore a broad grin, an easy giggle escaping the red-painted lips. When I tried for a bite again and the carrot bounced off my _toothless_ gums again, I would likely have reddened in shame at my own stupidity (though I was quick to blame the stupid infant brain for it), were it not for the giggle maturing into full-on laughter.

Mrs Uchiha had never expressed sadness per se, but the heavy look she shot me whenever I had coughed or winced carried worry thick enough for my inferior senses to catch onto.

But now, for the first time since I had awoken in my new home, I had the honour to receive a glimpse at the carefree and happy person _okaachan_ must really be underneath the tightly controlled surface.

At this moment, I added another important point to my to-do-list:

I would make the burden on the shoulders of the elegant chocolate brown haired woman disappear and bring her the happiness she deserved. I would no longer be the reason for her worry. No, I would be a model child so that Takeo Uchiha and his loving wife were able to lead the happy life they deserved to live.

And I would train till I dropped to gather the necessary strength to avoid possible future disasters. With two shinobi parents -and the graceful fluidity with which her _okaachan_ moved left no doubt about her occupation before my birth- and hailing from one of the most feared clans in all of Konoha's history I had the best starting position I could possibly hope for.

The future would not be as dull and sad as the original timeline had been. Not if Tsuki Uchiha had anything to say about it.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

Tsukiko has been handed a deck of cards, but do they lead the way to a bright future or impending doom? See more in the next chapter!

 _Translations:_

 _1\. Did you just try to speak?_

 _2\. Mommy is so proud of you!_

 _3\. How cute!_


	4. Familiar Pain

**The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 4: Familiar Pain  
_

* * *

Days faded to weeks and weeks to months.

My _outousan_ had still not returned from wherever he had been sent to.

I was unsure what kind of mission took this long - _maybe an infiltration stint or something of the like?-_ but _okaachan_ seemed unworried, so I wouldn't mind his absence either.

Sitting on the floor in front of _okaachan,_ I put her hands on the ground and pushed myself into a standing position. Maybe this time I'd get farther.

My sharp eyes trailed through the sunlit room, settling on a wicker basket resting against a vase of lotus flowers in the corner. I could even make out the tiny strings sticking out from the overall well-made basket. Oh, thank _Kami_ for the wonderful Uchiha genes. In my last life I hadn't been blessed with a particularly keen eyesight (Thanks, family of _three entire generations_ wearing glasses. You could not have _possibly_ given that trait to my ridiculously healthy brother who hadn't even needed brackets in his teenie years? Nope? _Ugh._ ). Instead I had been forced to wear glasses since my teenage years, cursing even the smallest droplets of rain and rolling my eyes in annoyance whenever someone sarcastically asked if I was made from sugar when I refused to walk out into the rain without proper protection.

Naturally I had been overjoyed when I noticed all the tiny details I could possibly get my eyes on without even needing to strain.

' _Awesome!'_ Had, in fact, been the first thought shooting through my mind, completely with the squeal of joy and broad, idiot grin.

I had now already grown accustomed to it over the course of the last months, and I must say: I really wouldn't want to miss that, like, _ever again_. It was one of the perks of being born to a renowned shinobi clan, I guessed. Really nice and helpful, if one ignored the stuck-up clansmen, the infamous Curse of Hatred and the eventual brutal massacre of the whole clan.

 _Not on my watch, Itachi_.

The wicker basket I had my eyes on appeared to be the same one mother had used in our last shopping trip. Since then, we hadn't really strayed far from the house, only sauntering down the street to a tea shop, never engaging in anything more than small talk. And even that was _weeks_ back. Mother had isolated herself, ever since her esteemed husband had left the house months ago. Okaachan even let her groceries be delivered right to her door step, where she would accept them without ever granting me a however fleeting glance at the delivery boy. I got the distinct impression of him doing the little grocery runs out of pure charity and neighbourliness, rather than out of a need for money. He had an openly friendly voice, every other time inquiring for mother's well-being, though that was about the only thing I ever caught, because okaachan did her sharp shinobi senses good by ushering the boy out before I had even crawled into the hallway. Chubby face scrunching up, I wondered why.

I had noticed mother had already been on high alert since I had first woken up in our house only a few months back, snatching me up whenever I only so much as yawned and looking me over worriedly.

She might be afraid of the strange burning sensation I had experienced at birth (the memory was still tainted with a distinctly unpleasant taste on my tongue) and looking for signs for its return. But I was sure I hadn't acted like any medical issue was imminent, as I hadn't felt the burning pain since then, _thankfully_.

I was still unsure what it had been, but I was absolutely content with not knowing if it stayed away in that case.

„Huh, another attempt, Tsuki-chan?"

Luckily for me, learning a new language apparently was _not_ as hard as I had thought. But perhaps that was just normal when you're exposed to it 24/7 with no other option than trying your best to understand, I really had no idea. I knew no expert or ‚first case' I could rely on to gain understanding of the whole born-again-yadda yadda situation, after all, so I just accepted it as **NFN** , ‚Normal For Ninjas'.

Who knew, maybe I was actually lagging behind by only starting to learn speech by close to a year of age.

In this crazy world everything was possible.

There were still quite a few terms I had no explanation for, but that was simply because I still couldn't inquire for a synonym to understand. Buuuut I was getting there. Slowly. At a snail's pace, actually.

Because _understanding_ and actually _speaking_ Japanese were miles apart.

„Go on, Chikara-san will be glad to see you're doing so well."

The words of encouragement sparked a fire in me, the confusion over whatever the hell a ‚Chikaarasan' was supposed to be pushed aside for renewed vigour.

I glanced up at the woman -her name was Akane, apparently- that had brought me into this world by pure resoluteness, determination in my posture. I produced a gargle somewhat similar to the sharp _Hai_ I had heard the other adults around use, when mother greeted them at the door.

A smile tugged at the edges of okaachan's fine lips and fondness grew in her eyes. She patted my head, fluffing up the soft baby hair slowly growing out.

Okaachan acted really strange today, I concluded. The incessant fussing over my stumbling was annoying on its own, but not against the norm. What really put me off were the irregular looks she shot the door. Coincidentally she had only started this weird practice a few minutes ago, just when a weird tingling buzz began prickling in my chest. Paying it no heed (stupid infant body, getting all twitchy after a few minutes of infant workout), I returned to throwing her mother worried looks.

It was as if Akane expected something to bust through the ricepaper wall at any given moment.

Whatever it was that concerned mother, I was determined to make her focus only on what would make her happy. Stomping _(tapping)_ on the floor had the desired effect, and mother's clouded gaze settled on me.

„Well well, you've got fire in you, don't you? Just like...", she trailed off again, staring off into the distance, sorrow filling her eyes. It was barely there, but the breathy _‚kun'_ made it to my ears. I didn't quite catch the name, but I put my finger on okaachan missing her husband.

 _Finally_ , I grumbled internally. _The man's only gone for the better part of a year._

I had made it about one and a half metres through the room, still focused on the wicker basket like a hungry wolf on its prey, when a sharp rap on the door - _burning stab_ \- sliced right through my concentration and my _weak_ _weak weak_ infant legs gave out under me. Bracing for the impact, I was relieved when the pain didn't come. Instead I looked into mother's onyx eyes, the usual calmness replaced by something I couldn't quite place.

 _Wow, she's_ fast _._

Though it became painfully obvious what okaachan was feeling when she whipped towards the door, facing the rice paper door with tense restraint. She turned slightly to the side, bracing me protectively against the side of her hip, stance rigid and tense.

She slid the door open and I had to squint at the sudden brightness. My eyes were highly sensitive and I usually preferred shadows over the bright glaring sunlight.

 _That's what we get for staying inside all the time._

A whiff of tiger grass and dog made me sniffle, and the tight grip Akane had on me lost its force.

„ _You"_ , she breathed, all the tension leaving her body in a heartbeat.

I frowned at the unusual behaviour. Okaachan never opened the door with me in eyesight, and she had never sounded so _lost_.

„Well", a male voice drawled, „I heard you were alone and could use some company, Aka-chan."

I dared a sneak peek at the mystery man that had the dubious ability to make okaachan speechless. What I saw made my mind stumble.

On the wooden front porch in the warm rays of sunset stood a tall shinobi, a jounin flak jacket over a dark shirt adorned on both sleeves with a rhombical clan sigil. And if the specific form didn't already tip me off, the mop of distinct silvery-white hair, shining in the waning rays of sunshine like a snowy mountain's peak, was the punch in the gut clearing my head immediately.

This man was a Hatake, I was sure of it.

I quickly gave him the once-over, and despite okaachan's strange reaction and the stinging _(burning)_ pain slowly clawing its way through my limbs, I couldn't help but think _safe_.

His friendly tanned face displayed a warm smile, and he looked at okaachan like an old friend would do. He was a shinobi, a jounin, no less, and could certainly pose quite the threat if provoked. I _knew_ I shouldn't feel safe around a stranger like him. But my instincts pleaded with me to _trust_ , that the strange recognition I felt in his vicinity was something _good_ and that okaachan wouldn't have just stood there if he were dangerous. So I stayed silent, and observed.

„What- _why-_ ", okaachan stammered, a hand hesitantly reaching out, only to retreat as if reflected by an invisible force field. „But they said you were _dead_."

The last part was no more than a breath, something I only barely picked up despite our close proximity. Her voice quivered, and when I glanced up, I saw wetness glistening in mother's dark eyes.

The Hatake- because what else should he be with these looks- didn't seem to have caught okaachan's incredulous whisper, as he continued speaking when Akane didn't do anything except staring at him, her hand covering her mouth in silent shock.

„I just returned from that ages-long guarding mission in the Land of Lightning, and thought-" He stopped talking abruptly, glancing worriedly at Akane's tear-stained cheeks. The next moment he jolted upright, caught in the motion of stepping closer to comfort Akane, apparently just now noticing the small figure that was me at okaachan's side. He looked at me intently, then at Akane, than back at me, his eyes widening at a revelation only open to him.

Before he could open his mouth for the direly needed inquiry, Akane grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the panelled hallway.

I winced, _there it is again_. The burning grew in intensity, pulsating with every waning moment they stood motionless by the threshold.

A short staring duel ensued, but before I could do anything more than think _What the hell is happening?_ , okaachan threw every ounce of Uchiha stiffness overboard and practically jumped at the Hatake.

„Oh dear, oh my dear Daiki! How can this be? How can _you_ be? They told me you- you-"

Her trembling voice broke off, and I needed a second to realize the wetness dripping on my face were okaachan's salty tears.

The Hatake - Daiki - didn't hesitate and embraced okaachan, holding her without another word as she sobbed uncontrollably. She leaned into him, momentarily lost in grief over something I couldn't quite grasp.

Only after a long minute I felt Akane squirming in the white-haired man's grip, clearly ready to face him once more. They separated, slowly, as if Daiki wanted to make sure she knew he would hold her for hours on end, if need be.

 _I really like this friend of okaachan._

It was the kiss on Akane's forehead, not a small peck, no, a real, warm, _loving_ kiss, that made my eyes widen.

Oh. _Oh._

Well, I hadn't quite hit the mark when I'd assumed they were friends, had I?

Judging from the intense look full of longing in Daiki's eyes, they were closer than friends.

 _Much_ closer.

Daiki Hatake and Akane Uchiha were _lovers_.

 _For Kami's sake, really?!_

Good that Takeo- uh, _outousan_ hadn't yet returned. That was a time bomb waiting to blow up.

 _What is even happening?_

"They told me you had perished at the border of Kumo and Iwa, ambushed by unknown shinobi. I- I thought I had lost you, and I threw myself at the first man offering me consolation and an open ear. I was _weak_ , and I betrayed you, and-"

Okaachan didn't stop mumbling for a long time, and despite his obvious confusion, the white-haired man let her ramble and held her tight, whispering words of comfort in her curly hair.

I gave him great credit for it. I wasn't sure I would've handled the sobbing mess that was Akane Uchiha _that_ expertly.

Their routine of Akane burying her face into his chest and him gently stroking her back, while doing his best to steer clear from me with his hip-holstered sword continued for quite some time. It gave me time to think, as far as that was possible over the thumping pain all over my body.

The tension in the air had decreased immensely, and while he seemed unwilling to let go just now, the Hatake man carefully parted from the tight embrace. "I don't want to intrude. When I came back I heard you had married a Clansman and resettled here. Just wanted to congratulate the lucky ba-", Daiki broke off after a hard stare from okaachan, still nestled close to him.

I raised an eyebrow at okaachan's insistence on manners even in a situation as complicated and emotionally laden as this.

 _Pff, you'd think they assume I can't understand them yet._

He coughed awkwardly, eyeing me once more. "Sorry. I didn't know about… Ah, well, excuse my rude intrusion, Uchiha-hime. I'll show myself out."

Okaachan's eyes shot up at the usage of the formal title, protest in her expression. "No. Don't you think you can walk away from me. Not now. Not after I _just got you back_."

Confusion welled up in his dark eyes, though he seemed determined to pull through with his farewell. "Akane, you're a married woman now, and I'm… a man from your past. What would your clan members think if they saw me here? Saw us here, together?" He held her by the shoulders, trying to uphold the distance he had established by retreating from the embrace. His eyes were hard, though I was sure I spotted a glimmer of deep-seated sadness and regret in his dark orbs. "It would disgrace you, if they found out. And I can't allow that."

Mother was not at all okay with his valiant statement. Her face distorted into a furious grimace, as she grabbed him by the wrist, obviously using her kunoichi strength to hold him in place. " _I. Don't. Care._ " The tears in her eyes belayed her true feelings, despite the angry growl, despite the furious mask.

At that moment she reminded me more of a certain red-headed Uzumaki than the infamously cold and level-headed Uchiha. Okaachan was full of surprises, it seemed.

When Daiki failed to respond, Akane pulled him closer until their noses almost touched. "I don't care for _any of them_. Only for you." Her gaze softened and a sad smile spread over her petite face, when, she lifted me a bit, as if she had just now remembered the little figure in her arms. "I love you, Daiki, and I love everything we share. There's nothing I would favour over us being together."

She took the hand limply hanging from his side and intertwined her pale fingers with his calloused ones, a hopeful look directed at him. But between the bursts of pain searing through my veins and making me wince ever so slightly, I could already see the impending rejection.

Daiki sighed, opening his mouth to bring his point across once more, if less authoritative this time, when I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I gasped in my pathetic infant voice, when the rolling waves of pain washed over me, concentrating in a tight knot of searing, white-hot pain in my chest, just above the breastbone.

Both adults' eyes immediately shot towards my small figure, the wide-eyed worry written all over okaachan's face. "Tsuki-chan, what is wrong?"

I had underestimated my mother's worry, for her high-pitched voice bordered on p-like- _panic_ , when she let go of Daiki and lifted me to eye level. I gasped anew, and not because of the aching fire pumping through my body like a second heartbeat.

When I opened my eyes after snapping them shut due to another burst of pain, I managed a glance at okaachan's crimson ones, three black tomoe swirling lazily in circles. She used the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's famed Kekkei Genkai to find the source of my pain, eyes shooting erratically all over my tiny body in search of something to pin the blame on.

"What is happening to the child? How can I help you?" Daiki sounded suspiciously like a whining dog, helplessly watching from the sidelines, as I whimpered and squirmed in pain. I had almost forgotten his presence over the burning in my veins, but I mentally appointed him the Nice Guy of the Week for his apparent worry for another man's child.

 _Especially_ considering the child in question was that of his old love and a stranger.

Okaachan's voice was distant and analytical when she spoke, every last bit of lingering sadness squashed by the need to help her child. "It's the seal. It has disintegrated much faster than anticipated."

The griefing woman rediscovering her long lost lover had vanished, vanquished by the hardened professional kunoichi.

"A seal? I know a thing or two about the sealing arts. Show me."

Daiki too had left his lost puppy-behaviour behind and switched over seamlessly to his jounin persona, as calm and collected under enemy attack as an ordinary person would be when preparing dinner.

He motioned for mother to lay me on the wood panels of the hallway. His intelligent eyes glanced at the Uchiha woman, waiting for permission to continue. When she nodded in tight-lipped concentration, her crimson eyes still focused entirely on the small body in front of her, Daiki wasted no time and lifted the dark red shirt. I was distantly aware okaachan wouldn't have allowed contact of exposed skin to the cold floor panels if she wasn't convinced something was going severely wrong, but my thoughts were jumbled even with the coldness touching my back. The pulsating ache easily burned the calming coolness away without leaving a trace.

I winced, lips not able to hold in the pathetic whimper, when Daiki's fingers brushed over my exposed belly. Whatever it was he was looking at (I couldn't quite turn my head to check, for the searing ache was ever increasing in intensity), it made the dark-haired kunoichi ( _okaachan! Why didn't you put me in my crib if I'm sup'sd to go sleep?)_ frown in barely concealed worry.

But before long Daiki wove a couple of lightning-quick hand seals, which resulted in a soft glow emanating from my belly. The white-haired man smiled grimly, apparently satisfied, and the pain was knocked down a notch. I could still feel the presence of… _whatever it was_ that made me ache so much, but it had been demoted to thrumming background pangs of hurt once in a while, all in synch with my thundering heartbeat.

 _Is it supposed to go that fast? It doesn't feel okay to me._

"I can stabilize it until we find a master who is knowledgeable enough to refurbish it", Daiki interrupted my now clearer thoughts with cautious determination. That, apparently, was all okaachan needed to hear. She leaped up, grabbed Daiki- who thankfully had the presence of mind to pick me up with one hand while keeping the warm glow on my exposed belly constant with the other- and stormed towards the sliding door.

Her head whipped around, fixating Daiki with a fierce glare. The three tomoe in her crimson eyes spun furiously. "Follow me closely, and move _fast_. We don't have any time to waste."

Her kunoichi persona was scary. I could feel the chills run down my spine, even if that gaze hadn't been directed at me.

The hard glare softened minutely, when she snuck a quick glance at me, then okaachan was gone in a flash.

 _Wow, okaachan is f_ ast _!_

The chakra-induced leap catapulted her high above the neighbouring houses of the Uchiha district, her lavender yukata fluttering haphazardly in the wind.

I noticed absently that she wasn't wearing any shoes, her almost porcelain skin shining in the dusk.

Daiki was left to stare after her almost _dreamily (_ stay focused, dammit!), only to chase after the kunoichi, barely keeping up with the brutal pace she set.

If there had been any doubt about okaachan's status, it now was officially dismissed. Albeit I didn't have that many references ( _none_ despite okaachan, outousan and the Hatake, the treacherous voice in her mind whispered lowly), I suspected Akane Uchiha to be a high-ranking shinobi. I was pretty sure speed of _that_ calibre wasn't chuunin level.

The Hatake man followed Akane, weaving through electric wires spanning to and fro above the noble rooftops of the Uchiha district. I was glad I had never been prone to sea sickness, as I surely would have met up with my stomach's content right now if I did. Daiki Hatake wasted no time in evading any obstacles by going the long way around it, no, instead he flipped and jumped like a gymnast, always holding me tight to his armour-clad chest. Apparently he had no problem with keeping up with Akane, who only seemed to take up speed, and maintaining whatever he did – something chakra-induced, no doubt- to hold back the rolling waves of white-hot pain like a dam protecting the tender coast in a tropical storm. It helped- but I could feel it was only a matter of time.

It had felt only like a few minutes at most, but we had made good time and put a lot of distance behind us very quickly, if I could go by the sudden change in architecture. We must be nearing the edge of the Uchiha district. _Aw shucks. I really enjoy this feudal Japan-style._ Oh well, I would have enough time to explore the district in-depth, when I was finally allowed to leave the house on my own. Wouldn't be long anymore. Only three, maybe four years, at the most. Four years of staying inside, playing nice, model baby to Momma Uchiha and not despairing over my lack of power to do _anything_ besides burping and wobbling pitifully from room to room.

 _Aaaaaand right back to despair. Yay._

The traditionalist Uchiha district was quite a bit larger than I had imagined from the rare visits the anime had made to the elegant clan grounds. Hmpf, not much to visit if the Clan is extinct for most of the series, is there?

 _Hadn't Kakashi and Itachi already gone to the Ninja Academy at five? Or even graduated from the place? I can't recall it clearly, but that at least implies I won't be on house arrest_ that _long. That counts as a small win, doesn't it? Wohoo!_

Only a few years…

Maybe there was something valuable to do in the meantime. After all, I could already have the chance to develop some shinobi skills beforehand. The big clans set great value upon passing on the traditions and jutsu on the new generations, if I remembered correctly. Luckily Akane seemed like the parent who gladly shows her child everything she knows and explains with soft patience, for the slow-brained little twerps like me. _Another win, this time a big one! Forget making friends or exploring the village, gaining power and strength is the way to go!_

I grimaced almost immediately at how _Sasuke-like_ that sounded. Ugh. No need to already go power-crazy at _infant-stadium_.

Although that surely would be a first-timer. A crazed sharingan-wielding dwarf in diapers shooting red flames from the mouth, all the while cackling maniacally sounded like a _really_ fun way to be remembered amongst the clans and villagers of Konoha.

I was brought back to the present abruptly, when Daiki's grip on me tightened marginally.

It had taken me a laughably long second to process our sudden drop in speed. _How disappointing. Oh well, I'm still a baby, ain't I?_

The white haired Hatake came to a full stop right behind okaachan, only to turn sideways as if to shield me from some invisible force.

"Uchiha Military Police, stop right there!"

Oh. So much for 'invisible force'. My infant senses _really_ sucked.

I wiggled in Daiki's arms, careful not to disrupt the light beam of pain killers he apparently transferred to me.

A duo of dark-uniformed shinobi had built themselves up in okaachan's path, instigating a very obvious attempt at stopping us right in our tracks while also maintaining the necessary distance. Thing is, I highly doubted the short distance of maybe six metres would do them any good, if okaachan and Daiki went all out on them. They really didn't look like they could pose any kind of threat.

Who were these bumbleheads?

"Who are you and what do you look to gain from illegally travelling across the rooftops of the most honoured Uchiha Clan?"

I inevitably felt my eyebrow go up and I had to stifle a laugh when I spotted Daiki doing the exact same thing. Probably would have thrown him off, and I didn't want the pain to return when his focus on the jutsu inevitably let off.

 _Man, I'm a freaking coward. And I didn't even encounter any knife-wielding and fire-spitting enemies yet!_

Instead of despairing over my meagre display of mental strength - _maybe when I've grown out a bit and actually learned how to defend myself_ \- I refocused on the strange people in their way.

The loudmouth was a plain-looking guy, dark brown hair, standard jonin uniform with the MP sigil stitched to the shoulders of his long-sleeved uniform shirt. His partner had a wild looking light brown mane and small, lizard-y eyes that gave him a scrawny, suspicious look. They both smelled of sweat and something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but gave me the distinct impression of 'long time without showering'.

I scrunched up my sensitive little nose. These guys screamed _unsympathetic_.

"You need to let us pass _immediately_ ", okaachan ground out, her sharingan eyes swirling angrily. A sudden overbearing aura made me shiver despite the warm summer evening air.

Uh-oh. Okaachan was _not_ in a good mood.

 _You should really just let us pass, guys. Or we wont be the only ones seeking medical attention this evening._

But who was I to judge? Two shinobi racing above the rooftops, while one upheld a jutsu of some sort and the kunoichi had her sharingan activated and led the pair _barefoot_ must have looked rather suspicious.

"We- we can't just let you go, Uchiha-san. It would be against protocol to-" "I _don't care_ for protocol!", okaachan cut in, her voice raised, but not shouting yet, because that was simply below an Uchiha kunoichi. "Me and my partner need to go, _now_. And if you want to argue.." She let her swirling crimson eyes speak for her, the threat blatantly obvious.

But Loudmouth didn't want to let the issue rest. "But Uchiha-san, your 'partner'-" he even put the word in air quotes, _hah!_ ,"-isn't part of the Clan, and we can't let a security issue slide like that-"

My eyebrows rose above my hairline (did I even have one yet?) at that.

 _Is he suicidal or what? A wild animal would back down if confronted by a kunoichi expressing_ this _amount of killing intent, but you still press on?!_

"He appears to want a set of new teeth", Daiki chuckled lightly, if lowly. No need to aggravate Akane any further, or worse yet: Bring her rage upon himself.

While the loudmouth kept on rambling about regulations and protocol- What, is he young Kakashi's Uchiha double? Only with less skill and certainly less spine, of course- okaachan's fists tightened at her sides, and I could practically _feel_ her temper rising. When the breaking point finally came- an off-handed remark about the untrustworthiness of 'outsiders', which was a clear jab at Daiki's presence in the oh-so holy district- the usually so calm and graceful woman exploded in a fit of rage rivalling that of the red-hot habanero.  
" _My trusted partner and I need to pass_ , now, without any further delays. You _won't_ stand in my way, or I swear I'll make you _regret_ that decision." The oppressive aura- I was fairly sure it really was the thing commonly referred to as 'killing intent' now- intensified immensely, so much so that I nearly choked on the crushing, _evil_ weight of it. I felt a strange… _tingling_ , and the dark force materialized as an obscure creature of shady anthracite smoke in my mind's eye. It was as if I might grab the physical manifestation of Akane Uchiha's wrath with my chubby little hands, probably being consumed by fire and eternal darkness in the process. _What the hell?_

Okaachan, no, _kunoichi_ Akane Uchiha produced a small flame inside of her palm, her crimson red eyes boring into her opponent's mind.

As _if_ she needed to emphasize her point.

The Uchiha MP was practically shaking when she focused her intense glare on him.

Come to think of it, Akane really seemed to trust Daiki. No mother would just hand her aching child over without relying on deep-seated belief in the other person, ex-lover or not.

 _That's… really kind of cute._

Whatever had happened between them in the past- Akane still trusted the white-haired shinobi blindly.

 _I hope he becomes my godfather or something._ _He seems like a really nice guy._

Not only did Daiki Hatake look like a pleasant person, he also wasn't hard on the eyes.

 _Must be a Hatake thing._

What? I could see what had made mother ensnared to him.

And rightly so, as he unhesitatingly had put everything aside for now and focused everything on helping the child of the woman he so very obviously still loved and a man he could only have felt careful dislike for. It wasn't personal; No-one would want to be best friends with the guy who stole your girl away.

"U-Uchiha-san, I- I have to discuss that with my partner, just give us a sec-"

Without another word Akane unceremoniously grabbed Daiki by the shoulder and _jumped_.

The chakra-induced sprint had sent us hurtling through the air far longer than I would have thought possible even for ninjas, and I could spot the white wall encompassing the clan district fly by below us long before we even neared the ground.

If I could've seen my own face right now, I was sure I would look like a comic character whose face was comically distorted by the g-force of the abnormal leap. My stomach felt like it stuck to my bosom and my guts were social enough to join.

 _Ugh._

It felt like the roller-coaster ride at the theme park I had visited with my brother in the last summer we had spent together, only this time I had been smart enough to pass on the greasy fast food beforehand.

My younger brother had giggled like a small child despite his eighteen years of age, especially when I had turned green from the bolus slushing around in my stomach at incredible speeds. I had planned to get back at the lanky idiot for that, maybe by the means of a jump-scare or some water balloons to the face. But now…

 _Oh brother..._

The returning sorrow at the new reminder of everything I had lost when I so unwillingly joined the ranks of would-be Konoha shinobi materialized as a sharp stab to my heart, and I couldn't hold back the soft sob escaping my infant lips.

Daiki's shinobi instinct cut in and his piercing grey eyes easily zeroed in on my puffy red face, salty-hot tears already burning in my eyes.

"Akane, something's wrong." His dry, toneless statement was enough to make the brown-haired kunoichi whip around, metaphorical hackles raised. She assumed a fighting stance, crimson eyes shooting around, already assessing the area for a possible threat.

"No, dear, it's _her_ ", Daiki breathed softly. His steely eyes expressed confusion, though his mouth set in a thin line of worry. "I have maintained the jutsu continuously, but I did not imagine the sudden spike in her chakra. I sensed _something_ , but I don't know what it is." He looked up at okaachan, who had taken position next to us, tightly-controlled features not entirely enough to mask the anxiety she so clearly tried to hide.

His voice was low, but steady when he inquired,"Akane, does this have anything to do with the seal?"

 _Huh_. _I wonder what it's for?_

Why would a small child need a seal for? Especially given how the seal kept causing me near unbearable pain for some reason.

Daiki still hadn't gotten an answer.

"Aka-chan?" Maybe coaxing her with a nickname would make the kunoichi answer?

The dark haired woman had avoided eye contact so far, but when she finally looked up, I was taken aback by the coldness in her eyes. "Daiki. Not now."

The Hatake man holding me tight seemed to consider probing for more information, but quickly thought better of it. There were more pressing matters at hand, and he could always inquire more after dealing with the mystery surrounding the seal on the infant in his arms. Or at least that's what I estimated his thought process to come to.

The quick glance at me and the re-emerging worry in the steel grey eyes above me proved me right.

"All right, then let's move on."

And gone we were again, sprinting and leaping high above Konoha's sparsely populated village borders.

I raised my eyes to the sky, momentarily glancing at the strained grimace on the Hatake's face. He couldn't have been much older than twenty-five, but he already had deep grouches of worry embedded in his tanned cheeks. Or maybe it was a genetic thing? Kakashi's father had displayed similar features, if I had gathered correctly from what little screen time the infamous White Fang had had in the Anime, and he couldn't have been much older.

The moon had risen up and shone brightly high above us. I distantly took note of its unnatural size. I was more concerned with the eerie atmosphere making me shiver and wiggle in the Hatake's strong arms.

The Naruto World's planetary constellations seemed to always fit the mood.

Where were they even taking me? Sure, the pain had subsided as of now, but considering Daiki's expression, it couldn't be easy to maintain whatever he was doing to stabilize the seal.

"We've arrived", okaachan announced faintly.

I looked around sleepily, almost entranced by the warmth seeping into my exposed limbs. We had landed in front of a single story house, with white-painted walls and traditional rice-paper screens. Above the entrance a single kanji was engraved in golden metal.

 _Sucks to not know how to read Japanese_.

 _We_ _ **will**_ _get there. Don't you give up yet, you weak little stickler!_

I could spot several strategically placed torches along the side of the building facing the street which created small patches of twilight between the different sources of light.

 _Smart._ There could be guards or the like waiting in the shadows, and one wouldn't be able to spot them with the naked eye. Luckily I had apparently picked the winner in the lottery of genetics, for I was able to make out at least a dozen humanoid figures hovering in the shady places. And they all had their weapons at the ready.

I gulped and looked up at Daiki for comfort.

He appeared calm enough on the outside but I picked up a faint trace of sweat. _So he is nervous.._

Obviously he would have the mental resolve to keep up a poker face even in a situation as dire as this. He was either chunin, jonin or tokubetsu jonin, and all of that spoke only the barest of his battle experience and hinted at his true skills.

Glancing back to the highly-secured house (if they've got that much security on the outside… what the hell are they protecting?), I took her mother's relaxed posture into consideration. I had seen okaachan under pressure and willing to use rough means to enforce her will just barely fifteen minutes ago. Conclusion: There was no danger I needed to worry about.

 _I wonder who okaachan brought me to.._

Instead of doing the obvious thing and knocking on the door, mother stepped closer to the entrance and wove a series of hand signs. I could make out the typical sound of an activated jutsu and all of a sudden the ground lit up in a soft yellow glow, forming a perfect circle of light around okaachan.

The flare of chakra quickly provoked a reaction, as all shadow guards lowered their arms and sheathed their various weapons.

"A deactivation code jutsu, no doubt known only to you and whoever it is we're meeting, am I right?" Daiki looked at the faint glow still at okaachan's feet appreciatively. He _had_ mentioned an interest in sealing jutsu before..

"Yes", Akane confirmed absently, "We agreed it would be easier than me dispatching all her guarding puppets every time we needed to meet."

Guard _puppets_? A quick glance confirmed okaachan's statement. The fine grooves of wood indicated a non-human origin.

But weren't these things more common in Sunagakure?

Kankuro had spent some time here during the chuunin exams, where he participated with his two siblings as a kind of disguise to cover up the Sand's planned invasion of Konoha. But he wasn't even born yet, so what other sly Suna nin came into question?

I couldn't recall any other puppet users resident in Konoha for the life of me, neither before Naruto's time, nor during it.

Luckily Daiki seemed to have similar thoughts, or I would've never known more.

"A puppet user? I have never heard of one choosing to live here, but his expertise in dismantling the damned things would've come in handy during missions near the Sand."

The unasked question was rather obvious: _How come I've never heard of an expert's input in dealing with these wooden literal death traps if Konoha has a puppet user at its command?_

Okaachan shot him a dirty look -still no curse words allowed, apparently. She expertly ignored his statement, either oblivious or wilfully ignorant of the low whine he emitted. He sounded _hurt_.

Awww, poor Daiki! If only I could hug you right now… Nope. Still only wiggling like a worm in his arms. _Damn those useless infant limbs!_

Okaachan should really drop her ice-cold kunoichi act right about now. I couldn't take those hurt puppy dog eyes any longer. Oh man, where his ears _droopy_?! That guy was a human, not a _dog_ , for Kami's sake!

At least I had caught his attention with my fussing, and the poor man lowered his eyes to look at me.

Behind him the full moon shone with all its mysterious beauty on the firmament, framing his tanned face like a halo.

 _It's just like those hilariously overacted moments of 'romance' in modern drama shows. I wonder how stupid my toothless, near-bald, chubby little babyface must look right now, staring at him with wide-open eyes and a mouth leaking saliva._

"Tihihihihihi."

Daiki's face lit up like the north star. What did I do to make him grin like an idiot?

"Aka-chan, look! She's giggling, it's so _cute_!"

Wow, who made that giant lump of a softy a _jonin_?

Although I suppose, a giggling, squealing infant baby _might_ look cute. Under certain circumstances. Mainly when said baby wasn't _me_. I wasn't cute. I was a fierce warrior, ready to take down the military dictatorship and the stupidly reliant feudal system of the Land of Fire, yeah!

…...Or I was going to be exactly that, when I was grown up. Possibly. Maybe.

"Again?" I couldn't even turn my head in time, that's how fast ice-cold kunoichi-turned-wobbling-mess-of-a-mother took up position next to the white-haired and still grinning Hatake. Her eyes were onyx once again, and they shone with pride.

"Dear little Tsuki-chan seems to deeply enjoy the sight of the moon. That's why I chose this name, a variation of 'Tsuki' and 'suku', 'moon' and 'love'."

Mother sounded an awful lot like she was boasting.

...Well, _thank you_ mother, for that impromptu explanation, but we really have more important matters to attain to, don't you think, Daiki?

"It fits her perfectly."

Oh come on, really? Is it the right place and time to gush over my name? Though okaachan seemed to have put quite some thought into it. It was endearing, really, especially when you originally stemmed from a world where names were mere words, seldom with a deeper meaning.

It was all nice and well, okaachan and Daiki happily standing by each other's side, glancing at her with a mixture of endearment and pride, until a gruff voice interrupted their little unscripted cuddle time.

"Are you finished with that little baby party you're giving or shall I wait another five minutes?"

The new voice sounded decidedly _not female_ , so I was a bit surprised when the two adults gushing over me whipped around and faced a medium-sized brown-haired woman.

 _Wow. What an_ organ!

She reminded me a bit of Tsume Inuzuka, for her tomboy-ish attitude and deep, almost manly voice. She gave the staunch impression of a woman best not to be messed with.

"Chikara-san!", okaachan exclaimed, her fighting stance already vanishing, and planted a firm hand on Daiki's defensively raised katana.

 _When did that even happen?!_ They had both moved so fast, I hadn't even noticed Daiki drawing his weapon!

 _Ugh._ It certainly will be a long way to reach their level of awareness and speed, but I wasn't discouraged that easily. If a bumblehead like Naruto or a civilian, non-clan born girl like Sakura could reach the immense, almost god-like (and a bit ass-pulled) power they had achieved in the anime, then so could I. With a harsh training regime, some nice teammates and a distinct lack of a certain _massacre_ , I was going to reach jonin level, no doubt.

 _If_ I lived that long.

 _Hi self-doubt and despair, long time no see._

Why couldn't I have been born with a certain blonde Uzumaki's borderless optimism instead of that grouchy realis- no, pessimism? _UGH._

"Uchiha-hime. Is it time already?" The brown-haired woman - _so that's a 'chikarasan'!_ \- sounded like she already knew the answer to her question.

Okaachan nodded, the formerly rather obvious anxiety now barely detectable. She seemed to think I was in good hands, now that we had arrived at that Chikara-person's place.

Said woman made a hand gesture, beckoning them closer.

"Come come, and bring the dog-boy with you."

My mind screeched to a halt. Wait, _what?_

' _Dog-boy'?_ What even _is_ this woman?

Okaachan snorted, clearly doing her best to force down any kind of chuckle. "He is a good man."

Chikara's eyes widened fractionally, but I spotted it anyway. "Don't tell me, is he the young man-" "Chikara-san-not now", Akane interrupted harshly.

I raised an eyebrow. _Say what now?_

Conclusively, she mumbled a low "Don't mind her words, she's a bit- catty", when the white-haired shinobi shot the retreating form of Chikara a venomous glare. A low growl emitted from his throat.

Okaachan smiled a small smile, intent on brightening the mood. But Daiki and the strange puppeteer-woman's first introduction couldn't have gone worse. The two gave the impression of cat vs. dog; instant dislike.

I highly doubted there would be much salvaging to do, but mother seemed satisfied with Daiki abstaining from ripping her throat out with his slightly sharper than usual canines.

After one deep, _deep_ breath, Daiki confided carefully, "I don't like her. _But_ I'm a grown man looking to help a cute little child, so I'll swallow my pride. Promise." He didn't sound happy, but sincere.

Okaachan shook her head, saying, "Don't worry, we won't stay for long."

Patting his shoulder lightly, she turned to follow Chikara through the entrance of the all in all rather plain-looking house.

Daiki hesitated for a moment longer. His eyes grew steely, as if he was bracing for a challenge.

What now? The woman insulted you, yes, but you have a very urgent case of 'burning, pulsating, furious pain in the stomach' right in your arms, so _move_.

Before he set in motion, Daiki's lips curled into a self-indulgent grin.

"You may have taken me by surprise, weird puppet lady, but I won't let this rest." He continued in a smaller, almost childishly-offended voice, as he neared the rice-paper and wood building, "And I am a wolf-man, just so you know."

I felt my eyes roll skywards. Oh god, I've had such _high hopes for_ you!

Here I was stuck with my crazily dangerous if angered mother, a sassy possibly ex-suna nin and a fierce shinobi acting like sulky ten-year old. Oh, and the mysterious pulses of hot, burning ache, don't forget them!

This was going to be a fun night.

The next fifteen minutes had commenced relatively peacefully, if one excluded the continually intense glaring duel between Chikara and Daiki. Neither gave an inch of space, neither gave any inclination of planning to let it go.

The only thing stopping literal sparks from crossing the space between their eyes was Chikara's rummaging around in search of thingamajigs to use in whatever she planned on doing to me. Mother had long since accepted me back into her arms, even though Daiki was huddled close by, maintaining the flow of chakra to my aching belly without breaking eye contact with the puppet user.

Something was off about Chikara's outward appearance, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Her hair? No, it was neatly balled into twin buns of dark brown atop her head. Then maybe… her clothes? Hm, she didn't wear typical Konohan clothing, if you catch my drift. Instead her dark red bloomers, traditionally chinese black wrap-top fixated with three golden pins above her sizeable bust and brightly-coloured dangling ear rings brought back memories of an underestimated kunoichi using weapon sealing scrolls as her preferred method of combat. _Could it be?_ Chikara reminded me strongly of the only female nin in Maito Gai's team, Tenten. The hairdo, the clothing, yes, even the facial features were too similar to be purely incidentally.

Okaachan cleared her throat, a pointless attempt at breaking the tension in the room. "May we proceed with the ritual, Chikara-san?'

The dark-haired woman shot her a glance. Something sparkled in her eyes, as if she was happy she could carry out a 'ritual' (man, did that sound _ominous_ ).

Apparently the Akane-instigated break in their glaring duel had also encouraged Daiki to speak up, despite the tension still up in the air.

"You apparently know yourself around seals, _and_ you use puppets. To my knowledge there are no puppet users except for the ones in Suna. So, are you a from the Sand?"

There was a certain bite to his otherwise innocent enough question, and I wasn't the only one capable of picking it up.

Chikara's expression grew hard, and she put her tools down with a little more force than necessary. "That's how I see you have very little knowledge, dog-man."

Oh, an upgrade from 'dog-boy'. Reluctant acknowledgement, perhaps?

"You could've just answered me instead of spouting such bad-intentioned nick-names", Daiki growled. Seems like he only picked up on the insult, not the faintly hidden bitterness Chikara expressed at the mention of Wind country's hidden village.

Suddenly the oppressive aura from before returned. My wide eyes instantly shot to okaachan.

She looked like she wasn't opposed to strangling the two squabblers, but the ice-cold fury that had scared me so much before hadn't made an untimely return.

Apparently mother only wanted to concentrate their attention on her, by whatever means possible. The heavy veil lifted as soon as she was sure both of their eyes were entirely focused on her.

"I see now that you two won't become acquaintances anytime soon, but please, focus your energy and concentration on the task at hand! Tsuki-chan needs our help, and I won't stand by and watch you two squabble like first-graders any longer!" She glared at each of the two adults accusingly, willing them to put their differences aside even only for a short moment.

Daiki lowered his head in shame, and even the outwardly stubborn Chikara seemed less eager to continue their little argument.

"Can you pull yourselves together or no?"

The two opponents glanced at each other, apparently united in the wish to help and squabble _later_.

Chikara looked Daiki square in the eye, apparently adult-ish for 'temporary truce', and began placing candles I a hexagonal formation on the table in front of her. She produced an ink pad and a brush from somewhere and after a few quick strokes and another hand seal the thick dark lines detached from the tabletop and swirled around, akin to deep-black snakes slithering about.

 _Hm. Another seal?_

The moving lines spread out and formed a symbolical circle, adorned with dozens upon dozens of smaller, delicate flourishes. It had something hypnotic to it, and I had a hard time separating my eyes from the dancing lines and squiggles. _Is that how a cobra feels when it sits in front of a serpent charmer?_

I used my hard-worked detachment of the animate dancing spectacle to muse about the possible purpose of all the different signs. I could pick out the rare kanji, but most of the settling black lines looked like they were nothing but gibberish.

The expertly painted curls and twirls looked wholly decorative, but nothing in sealing arts was purely for looks. That's what I reckoned, anyway. Nothing of militaristic use had a 'pretty looking' stamp on it. It was its use, its practicality that counted, not that it looked nice.

Satisfied with the way the dancing black lines had settled all over the hexagonal outlines of the unlit candles, Chikara motioned for okaachan to place me in the middle.

 _In my world this whole shtick here falls under 'unwanted treatment of small children' or 'how to make your neighbours think you're a cultist, step one'._

No, really. I knew they only wanted to help me, but the thing is: Being surrounded by candles, cryptic writing and basically being set atop an altar of sorts would scare anyone shitless.

"We have to move fast, or the overwhelming pain of the seal breach will be her end."  
It took me a second to understand that Chikara was talking about none other than _me_.

'Overwhelming pain'? _Gulp._

The sick pressure in my stomach didn't help. _I have a really bad feeling about this._

In the process of preparing her jutsu, Chikara rounded the table to stand over my head. In a last step to ease the tension, she addressed Daiki in a light tone, her mood apparently under control now. "If you care to know so much about my origins, shinobi-san-" "Daiki is all right", the white-haired shinobi interrupted, his voice filled with careful friendliness. He wanted to honour their truce and be the best guest Chikara could hope for. She nodded, acknowledging his efforts. "Daiki-san it is, then. My Clan, the Dakuten Clan, came to Konoha barely two decades ago. You were right with your assumption, as we are a proud Clan stemming from the Land of Wind. Our speciality is and was summoning tools sealed in storage scrolls beforehand, be it puppets, explosives, weapons or just all of that together."

 _Huh. Who would've guessed Tenten stemmed from such a renowned Clan?_

A bit of her smugness shone through when she continued, "Though we left because of the irritating amounts of sand common to our home grounds back then."

I felt a stupid smirk form on my face. ' _I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.'_ Did Chikara and her Clan really pull an Anakin Skywalker?

The equally idiotic giggle didn't wait around the corner. No, really, it was _hilarious._

How am I supposed to take this situation seriously when despite all the danger and painful foreboding it reminds me of one of the cringiest lines in all of cinema history?

I giggled and giggled and giggled, and my stupidly high baby vocal cords brought the most annoying noise in recent times to my ears. Tears of laughter rolled down my cheeks, and I couldn't make out okaachan's expression behind the hand she held in front of her mouth, just like the real ladies did. Her shoulders hitched in irregular intervals. I guessed she thought my annoyingly high-pitched baby giggles sympathetic enough to join in, just like Daiki was. I wondered if Chikara had a stupidly cranky grin on her wrinkled face, but I couldn't see because my vision was swimming and _ouch_ , _that hurt!_

From the corner of my eye I think I saw Chikara weaving seals with her hands. Daiki had stepped back from the sacrificial table. I felt like Aslan in that god-awful Narnia movie, only I wasn't bound by iron chains and skinned alive. Although that might become an option, if that pressure kept building inside of me. _Ouch!_

Guessing that the real deal was just about to hit me in the face like a wood hammer, I raised my eyes skywards. There, in the ceiling of the otherwise simple and unembellished room sat a window, allowing me a clear view of the bright full moon in a star-spangled sky.

Just then Chikara slammed her palm onto the coiling seals right above my head, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I screamed and screamed and screamed, no chance to take a breath because _it just hurt so much._

My throat was raw and dry like Suna's endless sand dunes, when I was finally embraced by the pressing veil of darkness.

Funny, I reflected, how the second time in my new life the full moon signified incoming change.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

Another chapter, and another bunch of questions raised. Hope you like it!

Please review this story, reader's input really helps an author.


	5. Human Amongst Gods

**Author's Annotation:** I currently have quite the problem with the internet connection here, so updates will not come as frequently as I'd like. For all of thos who stuck around: Thanks for your patience! Arcane Charmcaster, your question will soon be answered. I'll do my best to provide you with a satisfying explanation soon. End of note. Enjoy reading, and don't forget to review, please!

 **The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 5: Human Amongst Gods  
_

* * *

Another fainting fit. Another fade to black. This was, like, the fourth time that had happened? And each time it happened I felt more like one of those miserable plot-driving damsels of distress, only there was no beautiful prince at the ready, waiting to snatch me up and keep me safe.

But who cares?

I didn't _want_ a fairytale Prince Charming, a creep who snuck into some innocent princesses' bedroom and kissed a sleeping girl without consent. Thanks, but no thanks.

I looked around, hoping to find myself in the comfortable crib back at our house, with okaachan just around the corner.

I wanted nothing more than to be snuggled and held close by her, feeling warm and safe instead of having to deal with the odd feeling creeping up on me at a slow, but steady pace.

No, I didn't fool myself with having a chance to return to my real world anymore.

It didn't make particularly much sense to entertain the hope for such an unlikely possibility.

Also -even though I hadn't been quite able to admit this to myself until yet- I actually… Kind of _liked_ it in Konoha.

Yes, I hadn't been alive for more than barely a year or so, plus minus a few months, but that wasn't the important point.

Akane Uchiha, blinding beauty and fierce warrior, oh, and also kind of my new mother, Daiki Hatake, the adult puppy that had done everything in his might to help me despite having absolutely _no_ relation to me, and yes, also Takeo Uchiha, whom I had only seen two measly times, both of which I had basically mostly overslept- All of them made me feel good. Wanted. _Loved._ And if that didn't count as something worth to live for, something worth to fight for even, then I didn't know what did.

It definitely was better then the eternal darkness I was stuck in right now.

 _Seriously, where the hell am I?_

Hm, I could neither see, smell, hear nor taste anything. And if my sensitive baby senses didn't catch even the smallest hint of anything, then… maybe there was nothing to find.

But that couldn't be, could it?

Or had I been tossed into another vortex of chance, haplessly whirling around until I crossed over into the next universe? How could I know? I didn't feel anything, neither warmth, nor cold. And although I _swore_ I sat upright on the ground, there was nothing touching my fingertips when I felt for a surface of some kind. Nothing.

 _How is that possible?!_ Ugh, stupid question.

How was reincarnation possible? Apparently the laws of physics had been thrown overboard as soon as my head had cracked open on a stretch of burning-hot asphalt.

Nothing made sense anymore.

At first I was granted the chance to start over in another universe, one I had intimate knowledge of even, and after a brief phase of shock I had been pleased by the chance to make things right. Yes, my mother, father, brother, friends and grandparents, they were all lost to me forever, but I could make things better for others who still had these memorable bonds, or would develop them in the near future. No orphaned Naruto, no little brainwashed child soldiers with black seals on their tiny tongues, no massacre of the Uchiha clan. Just _no._

But then I had apparently suffered from something, starting right at my birth, and now I'm in the dark vortex between life and death again? That's just so _unfair_! Don't I deserve a little time to breathe? To collect myself? WHY do I have to be torn from my family all over again?!

 _No._ I would _not_ cry. I had died and lived again as a baby, but even then I _had not cried_ and I wouldn't start this bad habit now.

I was going to stay strong and be patient. Maybe something was going to happen sooner or later.

...Or I was trapped in this twilight zone and would go mad, cackling for all eternity, because writing paragraph upon paragraph on the walls with my blood wasn't feasible when _there were no walls._

I hiccuped, trying to hold it in with all of my might. I didn't dare breathe, let alone open my tightly shut eyes in fear of loosing the fragile balance.

 _I'm sorry, okaachan. I brought you nothing but pain, even in the short time we had together…_

It wasn't long before I felt my mental dams break, and the flood rushed out. _Why, oh why? What have I done to deserve this hell?_

I hadn't even lived long enough to fuck up again!

The thick salty tears streamed down my cheeks, and I closed my eyes against the burning they left.

I had just started to think I could really _change_ something, and then-

"Fifteen minutes. Or fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds, to be exact."

I jolted upright, instinctively looking around me despite the consistent blackness I was surrounded by. "What?", I squeaked, managing to force down the sniffle that threatened to make my weak inquiry sound even more pathetic.

 _Wow. Really helpful. And so mature._

Before the androgynous voice could answer, I cleared my throat, trying for a more intimidating tone. "Wh-who are you?"

A low chuckle echoed from all around me and was that- was that a deeper base-like reverberation below the clear tonal frequency? It sounded ghoulish, scary, even, especially because I _couldn't see a damned thing_ and not being able to assess the situation or even just orientate was one of the reasons humans instinctively feared darkness. You know, the stuff I was _completely engulfed in_ at the moment.

"And what do you want from me?", I added, sniffling and audibly less confident now that I'd had time to assess the situation for a moment and coming to no helpful or at least calming conclusion.

 _Oh_ , s _top sniveling like a scared child, you pathetic excuse for a young adult!_

The thing chuckled lowly once more, only pausing briefly enough for me to hear a snapping sound, and with a violent jerk there was light. _How poetic._

I wanted to groan at the intense brightness, but thought better. Bright interrogation room-light beat complete and utter darkness a million times over. The disorientation and despair coming with it in a group package was not to be underestimated.

' _Darkness, disorientation and despair'. Sounds like the perfect name for a horrible grunge band._

A sudden flare of something… incredibly dark made me shudder. It was similar to the killing intent that okaachan had been leaking, only _worse_. All my hairs stood on edge, my figurative hackles raised at the evil foreboding presence near me.

I pressed my eyes close for a second. Thinking about her hurt, knowing I wouldn't see her again. I felt as if the darkness I had left behind poked me in the head to prove a point.

"I wouldn't say that. You haven't lost anything yet", the ambiguous voice intoned.

My eyes snapped open in shock. _That presence can read my mind?_

I whirled around towards the position I felt the dark presence to be hovering and froze in fear at what I saw.

 _No. NO. How-?_

Before me, barely a few metres away, hovered a pale humanoid figure. Sleek, curved red horns adorned its head and its ghoulish features curled into a hellish grin, showing shark-like rows of gleaming white teeth. In the places under the unruly white hair that usually held the eyes only shadows remained, although two barely visible dots of glowing yellow colour simmered like the pits of hell itself. I could practically hear the screams of the damned, and the sound made shiver run down my frozen spine. Its flowing bone-white robes accentuated the infinitely paler skin, but still somehow stood out in front of the empty whitish area surrounding us.

Its wicked aura alone gave my lost soul a feeling of instinctual terror and respect.

Just then it threw its head back, laughing deeply and with such force that the echo seemed to shake the very foundations of the featureless white place they resided in. "Now that I have caught your attention- May we proceed?" It was a strange noise, grating heavily on my ears, but soothing in a way only a grandfather brimming with life-long experience and sheer endless amounts of knowledge could be.

Dumbfounded at the contrasting impressions I got from the hovering being, or still frozen I shock (who knew), I apparently missed my cue.

The creature's expression grew annoyed, and it pointed one of its skeleton-like, bony fingers at me in accusation. "Do not make me ask again, mortal! I am not a being of patience, nor of particularly good will."

Shaken out of my daze by its rumbling threat, I stuttered stupidly, hoping to not anger the being more than I already had. The dark poking returned, making my stomach turn and twist like I had eaten something wrong. I bit my lip, trying my best to not show yet another weakness to the creature before me.

"I, uh, yes? Uh, If you wish so, uh, Mister?" _What to call it, what to call-_

"Call me Shinigami", the creature rumbled.

My eyes widened inadvertently, and I took a step back in surprise. _Th-THE Shinigami?_ How did I manage to get in so much trouble that the Shinigami himself saw fit to berate me? Darkness befell my mind, twisting and turning like a boat at high sea in a winter storm.

"I'm not here to berate you, human, but I certainly will if you do not listen to me!"

I winced back. Angering the literal God of Death had not been my intention. Maybe I should stop going off on tangents, especially if he had the power to read my mind.

Wait, how long had he been doing that?!

Before I could ask another stupid question, I shut down this train of thought and looked the Shinigami ( _God of Death, God of Death, GOD OF DEATH_ ) straight in the eye. "Tell me, Shinigami-sama: Why am I here?"

I had hoped the question wasn't ambivalent enough for a spiritual being like him to twist and turn at his own will, but apparently I was wrong. Or I had stupidly underestimated a being that had existed for all of time. _Genius move. Applause to the idiot with a death wish!_

"Because I brought you here." Oh, was I fed up with self-loving personas like him. Had met enough of those back in my original egocentrical world.

The God of Death grinned like he had told the best joke in the last quarter century, so full of himself like an arrogant little pri- _Stop thinking stuff like that!_

"Okay, then a different wording: _Why_ did you bring me here? And where exactly are we?"

After a stern glare from the supernatural being I added a quick "Shinigami-sama" and lowered my eyes to stare at ( _through?!_ ) the translucent ground, just to be sure.

The Shinigami held out his arms as if he prepared to hug a sequoia tree.

"Why? Because I had pity on you, that's why! Dying two times over in such a short amount of time- Even I'm not that cruel." His grin said otherwise, but who am I to question him?

I nodded, as if such behaviour from a supposedly detached God made complete sense, before it hit me.

" _I died a second time?!_ " How the hell did I manage that?

"You got unlucky. Something about an uncontrollable chakra influx your puny mortal body couldn't handle."

Oh. Bummer.

I _had_ ached, incredibly so, but Chikara had promised to take care of me- Wait. She _had_ warned of possibly dire consequences.

I sighed. The Shinigami was right. I had just been unlucky.

"And to answer your previous question, we currently reside in a world between life and death, between your world and my dark domain. Here I have all the strings in my hand, so you should listen closely if you want to return to your miserable world of war and constant suffering."

Waaiiiit a minute. I had a chance to return?!

"What do I have to do?", I shot out without an ounce of hesitation. It came to me as an afterthought that it _probably_ was not the best idea I'd had in recent times to interrupt one of the most powerful beings in existence, but for once the Shinigami didn't seem to mind.

He tapped a bony white finger against his chin, the thin-as-parchment skin spanning over what would've been bones in a human vibrating like a drum's cover.

"You are interesting. Yours is the only soul I had to guide _twice_ , and that initially sparked my interest." He paused, contemplating his next words carefully. "When I looked closer the second time, I noticed an anomaly. You do not belong here. You are not of my world. And that is why you didn't stay in my lands after I shepherded you over the river of restless souls."

Me- an anomaly? _Hmpf._ Yes, that is indeed a way to describe my born-again close up and personal experience of a second childhood. Though I hadn't even had a chance to experience that yet, because _I died a stupid death_ before developing in any way.

The Shinigami continued, oblivious or wilfully ignorant of my inner monologue.

"That, mortal, was your saving." The Cheshire-cat grin returned full force and I had another close up of his impressive row of sharp, ragged teeth. "See, I am a curious being. And you are the most interesting thing happening since those great mass slaughters some time ago, where I had to ferry dozens upon dozens of humans across the river a day." His burning yellow orbs doubling as eyes turned wistful. Actively reminiscing about the past seemed to be a seldom thing for the God of Death to do.

From what I had gathered from his words, a case like mine was a complete novelty. _I wonder if he even knows what made my soul randomly pop up in his universe._

"Now I see an opportunity. I can send you back into your weak infant body and watch the anomaly struggle, and maybe something entertaining will happen."

I didn't dare interrupt the echoing rambles of the mystical being hovering before me, but there was no way I didn't hear the other shoe about to drop. He may well disguise his plans as simple curiosity and even good-willed benevolence, but I was a pragmatic person, and the Death God was known even in my realm to always have a hidden agenda, some secret plan behind his outwardly innocent, yes, even charitable deals.

" _Or_ I could return you to your as of yet puny little flesh suit and give you a quest, a task to fulfil of some sort. A goal to work towards." The Shinigami waved his arms about, a long wooden pipe trailing thick smoke appearing in his bony fingers. It scented of needle trees and spring, surprising me with hard-hitting memories of summers spend hiking in the mountains.

 _I expected more of a 'torn flesh and burning bones'-kind of smell. You know, something reeking of hellish torture and the sulphur of eternal purgatory fires._ Hm, not a good mood changer, but at least it got my head clear of those pesky memory fragments threatening to topple my card house of mental stability and outer calmness with the force of a wild gale.

The hovering figure before me paused, assessing my silence with a hellish burn in his eyes. When I stood strong, refusing to be baited into careless chatter, the ghoulish mask distorted into a skewed imitation of a coaxing smile. "Do you not want to inquire more information from me?" After my prolonged silence, he continued, his voice now forcibly boisterous to conceal his careful prodding. "You are a strange persona, mortal. But if you do not desire any further explanation..."

My fists tightened and I was unable to control the immediate urge to curl my mouth downwards in disdain.

The Shinigami had an easy time spotting my reluctance, and soon the same old Cheshire-cat grin spread over his alien features. He knew he had me on the hook.

 _Damn it._ There was no other way now.

If I was going to make a deal with the devil, I needed all the details.

"What-", my voice broke, too dry was my throat after the revelations of the past minutes. The God of Death himself did his Thanos-finger snapping again and suddenly I held a glass of water in my undefined outlines of a hand. I glanced up at the hovering figure, my squinting eyes scrutinizing him without a trace of the dread I had felt at his bare appearance not too long ago. _He really is eager to get my consent._

Whatever the favour the Shinigami was surely going to ask of me included, it had to be something of great importance to him personally, if he was humouring a meagre mortal like me to achieve it.

 _I wonder if I…_

I licked my lips, not entirely sure if the gamble I was about to take was worth the risk of never returning as a human and possibly being thrown into purgatory for all of eternity. I had never really been a gambler, but right now I needed to channel my inner Tsunade. Or, ugh, I could settle for Hashirama. At least he wasn't known far and wide as an absolutely unlucky bastard who couldn't turn even the easiest gamble to his favour.

 _Ah, fuck it. It's now or never!_

"Say Shinigami-sama,", I started, tipping my head to the side inquisitorially, but keeping my voice neutral all the same. "You are an immensely powerful deity, are you not?"

Seemingly caught of guard by the off-tangent question, the God of Death nodded, though his eyes closed slightly in suspicion. _Hah!_ The curveball I had thrown him had worked its magic, and now I had a confused Death God at my hands. I needed to act quickly, before he regained his senses and caught on to what I was planning.

"Then you could help me with this chakra influx-problem by, say, sealing it with your mastery of the art for later use? Only to secure my ability to finish your quest to the fullest extent, of course." A little buttering him up would do. Not even deities like him were immune to some bootlicking. At least not highly emotional and arrogant ones like him.

The God of Death seemed to consider my question, but he still ground out a rumbling "What are you planning?", and without any kind of prior warning the chokingly oppressive aura from our first moment of meeting returned, moving and pressing, trying its best to worm its way into what I felt was my very much unprotected mind. Suddenly the corrosive poking and prodding from before made sense. That bastard had forced his way into my mind! I think it's safe to say I felt a bit… violated.

 _No_.

I didn't like the way the slithering darkness rounded my head, rotation for rotation, looking for an easy access point.

 _No mind-reading anymore. I won't allow it!_

I tethered myself on the translucent ground, grinding my teeth in effort to keep the strings of energy, of _evil_ away from my tender mind.

I closed my eyes and put my outstretched arms in front of me, _pushing_ against the Shinigami's sheer force.

 _Come on, budge!_

Gritting my teeth in an effort to muster up enough strength from _God knows where_ , I felt a flare of _warmth_ starting up in my midst. Similar to sizzling energy, infused with an almost alien streak of light and pureness. _What's that strange intruding light?_

The calorific force powered through my veins, leaving me to feel like I could rip out trees and topple mountains with my bare hands.

The warm inner focus moulded into a rough sphere the size of a tennis ball, resting at my navel.

Clenching my fists I pushed more energy towards the centre of my body, gathering it there and coiling it around the pre-existing ball.

And while I accumulated more warm energy, ice-cold shivers ran down my spine at the heavy sense of dread threatening to overwhelm me at any moment.

 _Not enough time- Can't- wait any longer!_

With a violent ripple I let it tear out of me, forcing back the Shinigami's shadowy fingers like a hurricane against a swarm of mayflies.

When I dared open my eyes again a few trembling moments after unleashing the storm, I spotted a translucent veil of protectiveness that kept advancing, new strings of darkness away and burned the ones still rotating around my mind to cinders.

I didn't even need to see it, I _felt it_. Like buzzing hornets frying in an electric fly trap, only with more colourful mini-explosions accompanying the expected burn-up.

"No! _NO!_ You can't do that!", the God of Death shrieked, his rambling-deep voice depraved to a shrill noise grating in my ears. " _How_ _do you do that_?!" His bone-white robes fluttered in a sudden storm his wild thrashing had conjured, revealing a pale, malnourished torso, the ribs sticking out like greyish forks below paper-thin skin. "No-one can elude the Shinigami's gaze! I can see what the dead feel, think, _thought_ \- there is no way a primitive being like _you_ can repel me from your weak mortal mind!"

I couldn't answer. Not because I didn't want to, no, I-

I didn't know.

I had acted purely on instinct, protecting myself from the fingers of the Shinigami with nothing but will-power and glaring desire to prove him _wrong_.

I wordlessly looked down at my hands, mesmerized by what buzzed beyond my translucent, androgynous fingertips. The energy curled and coiled at my will, rushing outwards to settle around my hand like a blue-hued glove.

The power to force the God of Death back was _literally_ at my hands.

Before my sudden ability to mould will into energy had emerged I had taken his words like a helpless child, reacting at the very most, but my hands had been bound by fear and uncertainty. Now…

Now it was time to _act_.

My head whipped up and I fixated the still thrashing ghoulish figure with a crushing glare.

"Now that we have an even basis of negotiation, Shinigami-sama", I started, the small spikes in my voice deliberately left uncovered. I had an advantage over him, and _hell_ if I didn't let him know that!

"I demand to make a deal, and _I_ am setting the conditions."

I put my hands at my hips, using my lingering control over the bluish energy floating about to underline my point. Steely determination shone from my entire posture.

The Shinigami's features distorted into a shrewd mask of what had been before, the hellish gleam in his yellow eyes roaring to a worthy imitation of a violent forest fire.

His skinny, skeleton-like figure blew up like a balloon and his shrieking voice thundered like an angry volcano. "YOU _DEMAND_?! YOU puny mortal CANNOT order ME, the _Shinigami_ to do anything!"

 _Tch. Times have changed._

I was confident in my ability to uphold my bold claim. He had been forced back by me once before, I could do it again.

I held my arms out in front of me once more, procuring an even greater mass of energy than before. The warm impression of pure _light_ joined my own energy, strengthening me even more than before. Still, I did not question it. Whatever it was, it had helped me before. Why should it fail me now?

A smirk crept out of the corners of my mouth, daring to let the pale figure opposing me gather a slither of the belief I had in my own abilities. Confidence was a great thing to have.

In the meantime the Shinigami had retreated, weaving his hands in complicated sequences of- _are that hand signs?!_

Despite my confusion I forced the admittedly quite pressing bad feeling about the whole deal down.

No time to think about that now. No point in wasting my concentration on matters better left untouched for the moment.

Deep inside my guts the familiar feeling of flaring, boundless energy bubbling, almost anxious to be released.

I let the power surge through me and out of my body, swirling and whirling like a vortex of blue energy. _Hell yeah!_

The power whipped towards the Shinigami, slicing though the air at an incredible speed.  
Despite the tickle of foreboding in the back of my mind I stood my ground, eagerly awaiting the impact of my released energy bounding towards the Death God.

Who stood there, making no move to evade the attack.

 _Smirking._

My confidence slipped, when I realized my big mistake. I had underestimated my opponent, a literal _deity_ who held reign over this domain since the beginning of time. I may have been the first to possess this weird energy, but he had centuries of experience, of knowledge over all kind of things. The possibility of him knowing no way of dealing with me was nearing zero.

 _Shit._

I had barely enough time to bring both of my arms up in a defensive cross in front of my chest before the same blueish energy rushed back at me, only infinitely stronger.

It connected with my crossed arms, the remainders of whirling power infused in my arms taking the blunt force of the hit and protecting me from being torn to shreds. " _Gaah!_ "

The hit sent me back hurtling through the air. Sadly I was no Daiki. I took the landing like a champ in spite of my relative lack of athleticism before I had died ( _twice_ ), though, as I managed to only smack my forehead on the ground, eating the figurative dirt for the first time in my life(s) when my jaw plowed through the non-existent earth below my defeated body.

I still considered myself pretty lucky.

A direct hit from the Death God _after_ I had angered him? Pff, I would've died a third time if not for the weird energy-thingy I had at my hands!

My head snapped up when I sensed the eerie presence of the Shinigami loomed over me, billowing robes and ghoulish limbs underlining the hellish picture the incarnation of Death itself had been portrayed as in every culture's history. Shivers ran down my spine and I gulped. No wonder everyone chose to cower in fear before the Grim Reaper, if that picture was what awaited one after passing on.

"You were blessed by centuries of luck when I decided to grant you a chance to adhere to your insolent mortal emotions", he intoned, face distorted in what could have been called a smile were it not for the horns and shark-teeth. "I may have let you return to your world, stronger than before, even."

 _Oh, how_ benevolent _of you._

 _Ktch, shut up, you stupid sarcastic voice!_ Caustic remarks would certainly not be my saving here. I could only hope for some flimsy leftover luck to come to my aid, or I was one hundred percent done for.

Fighting a prepared God of Death in his own domain? I had less of a chance of survival than pre-time skip Sakura against the Six Paths of Pain.

"And now, foolish mortal, I will make sure you never get hold of a bodily form anymore", the Shinigami drawled on, his glowing eyes burning with thirst for vengeance. "I will drag you to the darkest and most isolated corner of my realm, restraining you for all eternity for your insolence!"

I knew I had no way of escape, that the God would have his violent revenge on me for daring to speak up, but I _refused_ to let my last moments be spend cowering before him, giving him the satisfaction of dominating the rebel at last, my valiant resolve tainted by entirely human fear.

Letting that arrogant prick of an eternal being win even the last point was not debatable. _Tch. No, you big bully, not me!_

Instead I sat up on my knees, devoting the few free seconds left to fixating the powerful creature with an unbroken stare despite my body literally trembling in anticipation of punishment. I would not back down. Not now.

Not ever.

My resolve to not bend before him seemed to infuriate the Shinigami only more. He was practically _glowing_ with fury.

He roared with all the might of a thunder storm, skeleton-white fingers summoning a gigantic knife with whom he apparently intended to cut me to shape.  
I gulped again, my fear threatened to take over, before I inwardly hit myself over the head. _No. He_ cannot _win!_ I had to grow some god-damn _spine_ , dammit!

The eerie form of the Shinigami rushed towards me, enormous knife at the ready. The warmth of the strange power I had wielded before sank down, making way for the furious burning presence of the Death God, dwindling even before he had fully reached me.

The last droplets of blueish energy left my form, and I froze from the wave of darkness, burning, _evil_ washing over me.

 _That's it. It's over for me._

Then out of the blue, the dark presence shifted, when a cone of soft light settled on my kneeling form. The once murderous Shinigami slithered to a full stop, pausing to inspect the light with barely concealed annoyance.

On the beam of faint white light a robed figure hovered down, its features regal, but androgynous. When its white-tipped foot touched the translucent ground, the floor began to glow warmly.

He- _it -_ raised a porcelain hand and motioned towards me, the gesture of an archaic elegance I immediately accredited to elves or other fairytale beings of purity and light.

The only thought shooting through my head at the speed of light was ' _Where in Tolkien's name does Galadriel suddenly come from?_ '

Even its voice had that ethereal touch to it, a soft singsong, but at the same time clear as a bell.

"Behold, Shinigami-san, for this mortal stands under my protection."

Yeah, right. Hello and thank you for coming, elven lookalike! Or elven helping hand? Something along the line.

Whatever it was, it was probably on the good side. Mine, that is.

Still, I stood up, protecting the vast part of my translucent-and-also-not body with a deliberately defensive positioning, entirely ignoring the possibility that this ethereal being could smite me with a snap of its porcelain fingers.

"And you are?", I ask the glowing presence, uncertainty shining through my body positioning and accentuated by my slightly trembling voice. It wasn't too long ago that I got almost obliterated by the wrath of the Death God, and I wasn't completely in the clear yet.

In fact, I was probably going to feel unsafe as long as those hellishly glowing eyes were not-so-subtely boring into my very soul. For all that I was a mere reflection of my first life's body, translucent and shifting and all.

The Elvenly Lordness of Helping Hand turned his – its – head gracefully, the long white locks of hair flowing on a non-existant breeze.

 _Seriously, how does their hair get so flow-y? There are not wind patterns that I can feel. Do they really manipulate this twilight-zone's fabric of reality to look nice?_

"I am your saviour,", the ethereal being began, and I could see the Shinigami's eyes loose focus, almost looking like he deliberately _rolled his glowing yellowish eyes_ , "The inextinguishable light in the darkness, the white against the overbearing dark, the watchful eye over-" "Oh endless planes of the Afterworld, _stop!_ ", the Shinigami interrupted rudely. "No one cares about all those cute little nicknames you have been giving yourself over the eternity you have existed. Get to the point, will you?" The formerly serious and vengeful Death God had actually folded his arms, huffing in annoyance. A prime display of teenage 'I don't give no damn about you'-attitude.

I had trouble reconciling what I heard with what I had assumed and thought to know of ancient heavenly beings. Did the Shinigami just tell the Galadriel/Elrond-lookalike to shut up?

Said ethereally glowing being sighed, still more graceful in argumentative defeat than any human could ever hope for. "Now now, mortal. You inquired as to my identity, and I shall grant you the short answer."

I would later swear I picked up a grunted _'finally!'_ from the Shinigami's direction.

 _A Japanese Death God, acting like a huffy teenager. The concept is so whack, that if I wake up now, it'll surely be in a mental ward._

The light-beam riding entity before me continued as if nothing had happened, clearly the mature one of the two, even though a small spike of irritation rang through his elegant voice. "The name by which I have been called for all of time, the one even you might have heard before, is one of elegance, of reliance, of higher standing." The little spike was more like a barbed wire aimed at the Shinigami's head now.

Much to the Death God's open annoyance and under a snarled comment of ' _overdamatic_ ', which I silently agreed to - _Why do I suddenly sympathize with him?-_ , the deity dramatically spread out his arms, the silken robes that covered his slender frame billowing scenically in the upcoming breeze - _So they really_ do _manipulate the components of this world to fit their dramatic needs!_ -and practically sang the words, "I am Tsukuyomi, the great and elegant Moon God, and I am here to help you."

My eyes widened, and I let a small smile slip onto my face. Tsukuyomi, one of the most revered deities in Japanese Mythology on my side? Just peachy.

Wait, stop, hold. One moment, please. I needed to think something through.

Tsukuyomi, the Moon God had intervened.

Was this- Was this a _literal deus-ex-machina?_

I wanted to laugh out loud. Oh, how I loved and hated the twisted comedy that was my in-between-life.

Never mind the implications- I really wanted to thank him for saving my -life? Soul? I didn't know- but then I remembered that I was dealing with mythological Gods, and as anyone would know from Greek or Roman mythos, the rarely did something out of pure charity. There was always a secret plan, a backhand agreement, some sort of power play to watch out for. I dared to assume it was no different in Japanese mythology.

So what was Tsukuyomi gaining from helping me? I was only a mere mortal, as the Shinigami had put it before, when he had mocked my helplessness despite my- Wait.

I was no 'mere mortal'. I had been reborn, somehow brought to this world from mine after death. And even the overly self-confident Shinigami had admitted to not knowing how I had gotten here.

Maybe the Moon God's involvement in the bit of a bind I had found myself in after once again being forced to leave the mortal plane.

Tsukuyomi might lift the veil of confusion and give me much needed information, helping me to piece this hell of a puzzle together.

Maybe- he could even help me get back to my hilariously weak infant body!

Deciding to dare an open question -hopefully Tsukuyomi was above twisting my words to make fun of me, and somehow I had an inkling he would be- I raised my voice to the deity in white flowing robes, his regal features more and more reminding me of the admired elven people from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece. In their apparent indifference.

"You have already helped me immensely, great Tsukuyomi-sama", Ugh, I hated laying it on thick, but I was dealing with an all-powerful deity here, so maybe some buttering him up would do the trick, "But how can I be of help to you? Certainly you have a reason to sacrifice your precious time to help a lost soul like mine?"

The Shinigami snorted, parting his jaws to answer instead, but Tsukuyomi whirled around in an uncharacteristic burst of violence, holding his glowing hand up and silencing the Shinigami with a beam of light aimed at the dark presence. Said being gave a ghoulish shriek and scrambled away from the Moon God and my comparably puny form, still perched at the feet of the hovering from.

The twisted look on the formerly gracefully indifferent mask reminded me strongly of the moment in the movie trilogy when Galadriel succumbs shortly to the madness of Sauron's oppressive presence, her face darkened and skewed.

I felt fear creep up my back, grabbing onto my very essence and rooting it in place. The dark side of Tsukuyomi was even scarier than the devil incarnate that came before.

As he turned to focus on me though the terrifying facade had vanished, elegant mask easily slipped on again in the blink of an eye. He could've fooled anyone with his innocent expression. It seemed so… sincere. One wouldn't expect this regal deity to sink down to a level of openly expressing violence.

Anyone who didn't witness the last few seconds, that is.

"Let us not talk about such matters in a place like this. I can feel the waves of uneasiness radiating from you."

I gulped. It was not this twilight zone I was scared of; or not only.

The Moon God smiled pleasantly, all the ethereal incarnation of moonlight again. "Take my hand, then."

I nodded hesitantly, glancing at the still shrieking Shinigami. If even this powerful being was terrified of Tsukuyomi's power… _I gotta be careful. No use in escaping from the wrath of the Death God, if I'm jumping from the frying pan into the fire._

The Moon God apparently interpreted my hesitation as healthy wariness in favour of the Shinigami, and indeed his curved horns and razor sharp teeth and unblinded anger at my insolence still sent shivers down my spine.

"Fear not, mortal, for he dare not touch my form or any person under my protection. The purity of my light would be his darknesses doom, and he is not foolish enough to try and test his strength against mine."

I stepped closer to the soft light of Tsukuyomi's hovering figure, eyes still not breaking away from the Shinigami's shrieking form. I could hesitate for a moment longer. I _could_.

But why would I? I couldn't gain anything from staying here. Even so, I was up in Tsukuyomi's hands. He would decide over my fate, and only he. There was nothing I had to stand against him. And so far he hadn't done anything against my favour. I had no real reason to distrust him.

Impulsively coming to a decision, I reached for the Moon God's hand, finally looking him in the dark, bottomless eyes. The reassuring smile on his porcelain face did not quite reach his eyes.

I really didn't like that creepy look, but it was entirely too late to turn back now.

I managed to pull myself together long enough to put my hand into the Moon God's pale one, noticing distantly how it felt like I touched a satin cloth.

 _Take a deep breath and get to it!_


	6. Take a Deep Breath

**Author's Note:** Hi guys! This chapter is shorter than the last few were, but I think the substance'll make up for it.

Have fun and enjoy readin. Also please review this work. Reader's input really helps the author out. Thanks.

 **The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha**

 _Chapter 6: Take a Deep Breath  
_

* * *

And from now to the next heartbeat, we suddenly stood at a lakeside set in a tranquil forest.

I mindlessly let go of Tsukuyomi's hand, eyes wide at the incredible sight which unfolded in front of me.

The lake was lined with beautiful nightbloomers, the petals adorned with purple and fuchsia spots and the surrounding pearl white glinting playfully in the serene moon light.

Crickets were chirping, and the whole scene, undisturbed lake water reflecting the full moon on the firmament and all gave off a soothing aura that made me sink slowly into the soft grass at my feet, the tiny blades tickling between my toes. I felt at peace, utterly relaxed and safe. I had never seen something as beautifully at peace with nature before, not even in my old life. Or my second baby-life, one I'd barely had the chance to live.

Suddenly I didn't feel so relaxed anymore.

I was sitting here enjoying the scenery comfortably from the soft grass ground, while back in the strange shinobi universe my tiny baby body was probably cooling faster by the moment. Dear doting Okaachan and puppy-dog Daiki must be heartbroken.

Becoming a mother must've been something other women always praised in front of okaachan, gushing about the purity of the mother-child bond, something to be looked forward to, something inherently _goo_ _d_.

And then okaachan had been handed the worst possible luck and got _me._

 _Poor woman._

She probably hadn't even wanted anything out of the ordinary, anything outstandingly special and flashy. All she had ever asked for had probably been a healthy baby. And she hadn't even been granted _that._

If I was being honest with myself I knew it was entirely illogical and not even in the slightest bit helpful to feel like this about something I myself had had no control over. I hadn't wanted to be special or a flashy 'communicator with gods' type either.

But no matter how irrational the though was, I couldn't keep the sick feeling from bubbling up in my stomach, acidy and horrid in taste.

 _Tch._ The human mind was not always logical and detached. In fact, emotions and the interhuman bonds that connected all humans like an invisible net of strings were entirely subjective, and what made humanity unique.

But it also was what made being human so hard, stressful and sometimes even outright painful. It was never easy, but pulling through was rewarded with the greatest of rewards.

No matter my own personal feelings or how I was barely able to hold them down even while thinking about something enitirely else, I had to clear my mind. There was no time to get all teary-eyed and emotional now. Even though oscillation between life and death should _not_ be as common as my ridiculous life had made it seem like.

I probably couldn't even fathom how horrible all of this must be for poor okaachan. She had no idea what had happened, even less so than me, and now was burdened with an inexplicably dead child.

I couldn't let that be the last she heard of me.

 _Stop it with the pointless guilt-trip!_ Would it help her if I kept on self-flagellating, wallowing in guilt and sorrow? No!

 _No._

Now was not the time to sit and stare holes in the air, I decided firmly, focusing on the beautiful scenery of the moonlit lake. Not even the slight pang of familiarity could knock me off my course.

 _I want to go back to them. I_ have _to make up for this ordeal._

Breaking away from the almost hypnotic beauty of the moonlight lakeside with a jerk, I made eye contact with the sombre figure of the Moon God.

I was going to demand my return, fuck the consequences. I had no time to play nice with anyone anymore, deity or not. There were others who were more deserving of my kindness, back in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

But before I could open my mouth to say something rash that could potentially spell my end at the hands of a Japanese deity-turned-ghoulish Ringwraith-lookalike, the Moon God himself spoke up. "I am aware how much your restless soul longs for the peaceful world beyond, but you cannot ascend there yet."

 _Huh?_

Unaware of my internal confusion, Tsukuyomi went on to say how I was still needed on the 'mortal plane', as he put it. His smooth voice almost lulled me into a trance, but the mental image of okaachan's chestnut-brown locks soaked in tears, her body being rocked back and forth by a white-haired mess of a shinobi harshly snapped me back to reality. "Why should I return?", I asked, if only to stop the images from popping up in front of my mind's eye. _I thought I had already decided to_ not _let myself be distracted by that kind of stuff!_

But, I was intrigued. Why did the Moon God have such an interest in me, by all means nothing special, if you take aside the part where I was mysteriously reincarnated?

It sounded even like he wanted to convince me of returning into my body (however _that_ would work wasn't something I had the time and patience to contemplate right now). Maybe there was something in it for him?

"Why, you ask?" Tsukuyomi turned to look over the peaceful lakeside. I swore I heard him mumble "Mortals" and "inquisitive" behind the long sleeves of his settling robe.

He hovered towards the lakeside, settling down on his knees with the fluidity of a mountain creek.

"Come here, my child. It will be easier to understand if you can see what I know to be the truth."

I moved to sit beside him, hesitantly settling in the seiza I had seen okaachan employ whenever necessary.

 _Actually kind of comfortable,_ I acknowledged, slightly surprised. Maybe my soul was more flexible than my first physical body or whatever, but I couldn't think of a moment where I could have possibly _liked_ this kind of seating, before the current conondrums.

I looked up at the ethereal figure beside me, inquiry in my knit eyebrows. Tsukuyomi motioned towards the undisrupted lake surface, his glowing white and my puny transparent forms mirrored by the peaceful water.

When the Moon God spoke, his eyes glowed with reminiscence. "Mankind can be a shining example of good. Humans possess unique courage, selflessness and an unbreakable bond to those dear to them."

In front of us a scene probably taken straight from one of those 'happy childhoods' movie characters tended to have before everything went down the drain played out, when a little boy rescued a dog from drowning in a small river, the dog wildly licking his face afterwards.

See, I would have been deeply impressed, if I weren't literally listening to a deity ramble on about humanity's good side. There was not much more that could've startled me right now.

"The most important trait", Tsukuyomi continued, his voice now singing with pride,"is their deep-seated love. Love for a certain dish, the warm rays of sun on their backs, love for another human being or even for something as mundane as what you call 'art'."

The image of a blond explodo-maniac flashed through my mind, but I didn't have it in me to chuckle. I didn't need a lynx's ears to hear the other shoe about to drop, and the sudden sombre expression in Tsukuyomi's pitch-black eyes couldn't have been a better forewarning.

"Human love is the force that drives this universe." The cheesy line was undercut by Tsukuyomi's sudden voice drop, now holding a distinct flutter of sorrow. "But more often than not, the mortals do not adhere to the principles of peace and love. Instead, they envy their neighbours, quarrel over insignificant little things. And in the end, it always leads to senseless slaughter."

The happy images from before were replaced by ambiguous human shapes wielding all kinds of weaponry, flames licking hungrily at the backdrop.

The reflective surface of the water acted like a canvas for the movie Tsukuyomi was tacking together like a director with good ideas, but not the right budget to see them come to full fruition.

"I am the Moon God, and I have been watching over the mortal world for all eternity. There has been no century without war since the dawn of time, and I have seen them all."

The haunted look in the God's eyes sent shiver down my spine.

"When humans resort to violence, they often carry out their dark deeds under my eyes. I try to guide them back to the light, but more and more of them choose to adhere to their violent ways, acting just on the edge of my vision, in the twilight I hold no power over."

Tsukuyomi halted, looking at his porcelain hands. And when the prospect of having to watch millennia of humans slaughter each other over and over again, the violence going on and on with no power to intervene made me shiver, seeing _defeat_ reflected in an immortal God's entire posture made me feel downright _scared._

"I cannot let this generation fall under the same dark shroud, the Shinigami already hovering over their soon-to-be-felled bodies, lust for blood on his impure tongue."

Tsukuyomi balled his perfectly-shaped fingers into a tight fist. And if there was an odd flare of Shinigami-yellow flashing in his eyes, I pretended I had not noticed.

"That is why I have decided to intervene", he finished, and I wondered silently how I fit into all of what has been told.

I tried to raise my voice, coughing once before addressing the glowing Moon God. My throat was incredibly dry again. "But Tsukuyomi-sama, if you didn't have the ability to stop humanity from committing to violence before, how do you intend to change that now?"

I knew I should not have sounded so doubtful, but it felt strange to me to see such determination and trust in his own ability, when he apparently never had the power to do something about humanity's violent urges in the past. And if he had the ability to shoot warmongerers down with a silver moon-beam of rectification, I'm sure he would've used that by now.

Tsukuyomi only laughed lightly, his hand elegantly hiding his mouth like okaachan always did. Apparently my question had been idiotic enough for an usually distanced deity to laugh about. "You misunderstand me, my child. Stopping this ancient circle of war is no small deed, nor is it done by a simple snapping of fingers. It takes time to change the humans' minds. Time and observation and constant interference, whenever necessary."

He poked me in the translucent chest, a whitish glow rippling all over my body like a wave. "And you are going to change the future."

I scrambled backwards, away from the ripple's origin, away from the urge to take responsibility and stood up. "Me? Changing the future? How could I possibly do that? I'm not even supposed to be here!"

 _I'm supposed to be lying in a grave in my hometown, aren't I? I don't deserve all of this. I don't_ want _all of this responsibility burdened on me!_

I was no protagonist type. Let Naruto handle that stuff, he was eventually going bring peace. I knew it!

Tsukuyomi tried soothing my aggravated self, his expression calm and his voice strong when he spoke. "I know you, my child. I know you better than you think. I was the one who brought you, here after all."

"I don't care! I don't want this duty to 'save everyone', I don't need to be essential to everything, and I most certainly will _not_ be anyone's pawn!"

During my rant a strong wind had picked up. Leaves whirled around me, and I noticed with distaste that waves rippled through the dark lake water, finally destroying the peaceful imagery for good.

The uncharacteristic outburst surprised me. I had not thought myself to be the type to get angered easily. That had always been my little brother's job and- Nope, I was _not_ going to follow that train of thought to the end right now. Maybe never. It still hurt _too fucking much._

 _But it hasn't really been anger, has it?_ If I was really honest to myself, I had to admit I was nothing short of _scared shitless_. The burden of bringing peace to the Naruto world- Alone. No mom or little brother or loyal friends to carry me on.

I sobbed, wiping at my eyes. _I am really actually on my own. Nobody else there_.

It was too much for my already fragile mind.

Tsukuyomi knew what to do to push my mind out of the endless loop of sorrow threatening to bring out honest, salty tears.

"Do not be afraid, child. Remember, you are not alone", he whispered in this confusingly androgynous voice of his. And on cue, a beautiful ‚Perfect family'-esque picture of okaachan and Daiki holding me together appeared on the lake canvas. I sniffed. _Ma-maybe I'm not entirely alone yet?_ There were already people who openly loved me, even though they knew nothing of my true self.

 _Man_ _, do I miss these guys already!_

But still... I did not need this whole „I need you to change the future"-burden. Yes, I had already decided to do my very best to prevent certain tragedies and put an end to a certain someone's extremely peace-harming activities. But having the burden of the entire shinobi world's continued preferably _peaceful_ existence on my technically _infant_ shoulders? No thank you, Mister Moon God.

Was it too much too ask if I just wanted to live with my new family? No resposibility, no supernatural nick-nack except the inevitable ninja magic of elemental jutsu and jumping fifteen metres straight up without breaking a sweat. I didn't want to have to endlessly wrack my brain, worrying over ways to stabilize the nations into lasting peace.

"They and many others will guide you on your way, if you let them. And even if you distance yourself or cannot confide in them, I will be there, watching you from above."

Well, I hadn't actually thought it would be easy. I had only hoped.. For what, anyway? Tsukuyomi had already explained there was no quick way. But could I do what he believed me capable of?

"Do not doubt, Moon Child, for you have inherited a power few others in your world possess", he went on, his elegant arms outstretched towards me as if he waited for an embrace.

One part of his rambling had struck a nerve in me, though. "What do you mean by 'inherited'?"

His arms sunk down, motioning for me to sit as well. Despite my former state of aggravation, I soon found myself complying. Somehow Tsukuyomi subconsciously evoked a feeling of safety, and I felt myself pulled towards him like the oceans to the planet's satellite.

"I have told you before that I hold no real physical power over the world. That is why after decades of amassing strength, I waited for a promising soul to slip into the aether, a soul I could hold on to and pull over into this world of ours. You had unfinished business left behind- and a strong will to compensate. You were the perfect candidate."

My eyes widened. That's why when I begged for another chance- Why my pleas hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Why my wish had been granted. I had the incredible luck that Tsukuyomi just _happened_ to start his little influencer experiment when I was biting the dust.

 _What's realistically the chance of that? One in a trillion? That sounds like it's still too low of a number._

"Only during the imminent conception of a child can I possibly transfer a soul to take form on this mortal plane of existence, which happened under my watchful shining eye, almost two years ago. That is why this place looks so familiar- It is where your soul crossed into the mortal world once more."

I took another long look of the beautifully serene lakeside.

So what he was saying was basically… That I (or the body my soul had been fused to) had been conceived right here?

My mind immediately jumped to okaachan and- _Errrr_ _, entirely too much information for me._

I shook my head, motioning for Tsukuyomi to continue his tale. _Please leave out_ _the details_ _or give a little warning_ _next time, will you?_

"I depleted much of my energy by fusing your soul to an unblemished body, to make sure you had the necessary tools to defend yourself amongst your violent brethren."

'An unblemished body'? Somehow I couldn't shake the feeling something went over my head here, but the thought of an innocent child not even getting the chance to live because the Moon God had decided to store my soul in its body made bile rise up my throat. "What do you mean by 'necessary tools'?", I weakly tried to distract myself, but an empty-eyed baby face was all that dominated my mind's eye.

"In this world exists an energy almost everyone possesses, although some do in rather great quantities." Chakra! He must be talking about Chakra!

"I achieved you earning the accumulated energy of your previously lived years. That is why you, my child, have been blessed with abnormal amounts of it."

A heavy lump settled in my throat.

The energy- chakra. Could it be…? "Tsukuyomi-sama", my eyes trailed hesitantly upwards, stopping just short of staring into his bottomless ones, "is that great amount of energy the reason why I suffered from this strange condition?"

'Chakra influx', the Shinigami had called it. 'Immeasurable pain in the ass' was my loving description of it.

Whatever it was, when Tsukuyomi was responsible- Maybe he had something to control it? I wouldn't be much of a help in his grand plan of making the world a better place, when I immediately kicked the bucket again after he send me back for the umpteenth time.

"That is unfortunately a challenge I have not been able to find a solution for, my child."

 _Hah, you better try th_ _at part_ _again, my friend!_ _Because that sounds suspiciously like 'I am an omniscient deity and I have no idea', and I don't like the sound of that._

"I will surpress the energy until there is a way for you to use it. You do not have to fear it breaking free and destroying your mortal body again, my child."

If I squinted I could make out a tiny sliver of guilt in those strangely pupil-less eyes.

 _Hmpf, fair enough._

Waiting and hoping it was, then.

As if he sensed I had come to a decision, Tsukuyomi once again put on a grand show of hovering in front of me, his feet barely above the now once again undisturbed lake water.

"Of course you have the choice of returning or crossing over into the ever-peaceful afterworld."

 _As if that's all you have to say. Out with it already!_

I didn't have time to deal with his overdramatic tendencies.

And sure enough, he continued with a more pressing tang his voice. "Just know that without your interference much of what you fear for the future _will_ happen."

Suddenly a Uchiha fan embedded on the rice paper screens so typical for the Clan's district appeared in front of my inner eye, torn apart by a bloodied arm hanging through the opening. A burning Konoha, screaming people, a crying infant, the shriek of a nine-tailed beast shaking me to my core. Two boys, one with silvery-white hair, the other throwing away orange googles, standing on the ashes of their lives. And to round it all up, a heartbreakingly realistic image of okaachan with a katana in her stomach appeared on the lake canvas, so achingly real-looking I had to gasp for air after watching the blood trickle down her lavender yukata.

 _No no no I could_ not _let all of that happen. I could not._

"You have the choice. But know it is your destiny to change what could happen."

 _I would not._

Slowly, almost achingly slowly I raised my head, fixating the Moon God with a determined stare.

Tsukuyomi's smile was complacent, if not outright smug.

 _Manipulative, silver-tongued bastard._

The Moon God hovered over the centre of the lake, arms spreading out in perfect synergy with the wind coming up. He was dozens of metres away, but his voice was as clear as a day. "Steer them clear of the endless cycle of violence. Trust in your abilities. Never let desperation take a hold of your heart." His voice may have sounded detached, but his eyes were not.

Determined, I walked towards him, step by step crossing the distance. Not even the seemingly bottomless lake below me could discourage me.

I stood before Tsukuyomi, my translucent hands once again holding onto his porcelain ones. But this time I wasn't frightened. I wasn't unsure.

This time I knew what I had to do, and I knew I was going to do everything in my power to achieve that goal.

"I will always look out for you, Moon Child", Tsukuyomi said in this strange singsong voice, pressing my hands when suddenly a bright light burst forth from his chest.

I squinted, futilely trying to protect my eyes from the blinding white.

My foot dipped into the calm lake water, sending ripples towards the shore, before I could neither see nor hear anything else.

Tossed into a slinging dark vortex again, I managed the first genuinely smile since seemingly forever.

For a second round in the twilight zone between worlds, a pounding by the Shinigami and a way too detailed mess of information from the Moon God it had been a really interesting stint.

I only wondered how it would go on now. Could I call to Tsukuyomi whenever I was out of juice? Could I rely on his omniscience to carry me through the task of preventing the fuck-ups of Konohan/world history?

I hoped I could talk to Tsukuyomi. I would annoy the hell out of him, just for shits and giggles.

Maybe then he'd interfere. But now was not the time for this.

I had to return to okaachan and the others.  
Okaachan, Daiki, Takeo… They were my family now. And I was not someone who deemed the strong bonds between family members worthless.

I was going to take care of them, especially when I finally was able to do something about all the problems surely already plaguing the innocent inhabitants of this strange world.

 _Next stop: Konohagakure, shinobi village extra_ _ordinaire_ _, apparently root of all that happened in the world (good and bad) and easily home to the most lethal and likewise important ninja in the history of ninjas._ _Back to_ _okaachan and the daily madness,_ _yeah!_


End file.
